


Reign of the World

by Ten_Petals10 (Rachel_Lu)



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Beaches, Cruise Ships, F/M, Falling In Love, Prison, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-13
Updated: 2015-08-17
Packaged: 2018-04-14 13:15:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 29,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4565937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rachel_Lu/pseuds/Ten_Petals10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor and Rose embarked on the New Earth cruise hoping for a proper holiday.  Rose seems to think the only trouble for them on this trip will be the growing tension between them.  But as it turns out, even Rose Tyler and the Doctor can be wrong where trouble is concerned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Rose Tyler decided that maybe she really did like doing undercover work. After all, she was no dinner lady this time around, and maybe being the Doctor's "assistant" was better than that.

But what was even better than her position in relation to the Doctor was where they were. A luxurious 50th Century New Earth cruise. Everything was posh and there were aliens and humanoids and no one had tried to kill them yet.

And as usual, everyone loved the Doctor. That man was excellent at playing any role, and as usual, it was the witty Doctor John Smith who brought his cheeky blonde assistant on a cruise with him so he wouldn't be so lonely. Very odd, how similar it was to their actual relationship.

Not that anyone on the cruise knew anything about Doctor Smith and Miss Tyler's relationship. As it stood, they shared a cabin, chocking it up to poor planning, but everyone else on the cruise saw it as the two being involved.

Which wasn't too far of a stretch, when Rose really thought about it. They ate all their meals together, he treated her like and equal, they held hands, and they shared that room. Rose couldn't say any of it upset her. She liked that people thought they were together. She could pretend that way, and everything would be just fine up in her brain.

She stood on the deck, overlooking the waves that were so familiar but pulled differently because of the moons here. The Doctor had been pulled into a meeting that a bunch of the men were having that Rose was sure would bore him to death, and she had decided to stay outside. The weather had been lovely every day of the cruise, and she was loath to miss a second of it.

The deck was wide, and looked wooden but was obviously something more futuristic and inventive. Her feet didn't hurt when she stood on It for too long and she made a mental note to ask the Doctor about it later. She leaned on the railing, her back turned to two women whose gossiping she could very clearly hear. It didn't seem that things were that different in the future after all. She bit her lip to keep from grinning when she realized that they were talking about her.

"That girl. Right there, do you see her?" The first woman asked in a loud whisper. "She's the one Doctor Smith calls his assistant. I think she's his lady. What do you reckon?"

"I think so too," the second woman agreed. "I've seen the way he ogles her when her back's turned, and he does love to hold her hand."

That was usually where Rose stopped listening. She couldn't bear the false gossip of the Doctor possibly having any feelings for her that weren't platonic. It was almost too much to handle, on any level, in any way, shape, or form, even if he never heard what they were saying.

That was the point when Rose would usually walk away and pretend she was alright while she stayed away from the Doctor for awhile. But no, they only had a week of the cruise left, and she would manage. Besides, it might be fun to know what they were all saying about the Doctor.

"But he's a _Doctor_ ," the first woman protested. "Surely he doesn't want his assistant. Gorgeous as she may be by Earth standards."

"He is not human," thee second woman mused in response. "I can tell that much, though he won't say. What do you think he is?"

Silence followed that question, and Rose had to grin to herself. Of course, neither woman would be able to guess who the Doctor was or where he was from, but the guessing would certainly keep them occupied.

She walked away from the women, moving farther down the deck of the boat. She found that she loved people watching, or sentient-being watching, as it often turned out to be, since no one was really human on the boat besides her.

Oh, there were certainly humans, but they were few and far between and the women gossiping about the Doctor would have to know that. Rose suspected that they were just humanoids anyway, not actually humans. It made things lonely for her when the Doctor wasn't around, but not much to do about that.

At the very least, she expected their holiday to be turned into some saving the world adventure, but that hadn't happened and she had to force herself to relax and sip fruity drinks and look out at the ocean.

Not a bad life.

Better with two.

Better when the other person of your "two" wasn't in a fake meeting he couldn't get out of, but that was neither here nor there.

So she tuned out the world and watched the ocean and its strange patterns.  She'd be able to keep herself entertained without the Doctor for a couple hours.

***

The Doctor decided that maybe he really did hate undercover holidays.  He'd promised Rose a death-free adventure.  So far, that had gone well, but he was on the verge of death by boredom, and then she'd be alone.

Oh, poor Rose, crying over his dead body because he'd keeled over in the middle of a meeting, swearing that it shouldn't of happened, and... And... Well, he'd technically keel over and regenerate, wouldn't he?  And what sort of business was being made on a cruise? 

It was bloody ridiculous, the entirety of it.  Did he have to say he was John Smith?  And why had he made Rose his assistant and not his equal?  The meeting probably would've been bearable with her around.  She'd play at seeing how ridiculous her questions could get before they kicked her out.  But then he'd be alone again anyways and he'd be bored.

He didn't know where she'd gone.  He had to meet up with her before dinner, at least, so they could compare notes on their days.  He didn't like being separated when he was here for the purpose of spending time with his best mate, and that he got nervous when she was alone without him.  She was rather jeopardy friendly, after all.

Most of the trouble they got in was her fault, actually, not that he didn't like it, because he really did like saving the world, and she was very good at it, a natural even and.  What?

Oh, someone was talking to him.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor rubbed his eye with two fingers, snapping out of his reverie.  "Haven't gotten much sleep lately, I didn't hear you.  What was that?"

"Well, we've adjourned the meeting," an older humanoid, the Doctor remembered him as Mr. Alfred Kelly, huffed.  "I was just asking you about your assistant, Miss Tyler."

"Ah, yes, Miss Tyler," the Doctor agreed.  "What about her?"

"You two seem to be very close," a blue man with shimmery skin narrowed his orange eyes at the Doctor.  "Very, very close."

"Sorry, what was your name?" The Doctor asked.

"Akai'na," the blue alien replied. 

"The question of Miss Tyler still stands," Mr. Kelly interjected.  "If I may ask, what is your relationship with her?"

The Doctor leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.  "Not that it's any of your business, but Rose has been a friend of mine for a couple of years now.  She may be my assistant, but I consider her an equal.  Why d'you ask?"

"We've never seen someone in a relationship with their assistant," another alien, an Axop with grey skin and white hair that looked more like chords spoke.  The Doctor was almost certain her name was Lyssk.  She cocked her head at him.  "And you two share a room."

The Doctor cocked his left eyebrow at that, surprised by her tone and the implications that it put forth.  The other two in the room murmured in response, along the lines of more questions about their relationship.

"You know, Rose has been telling me that the beings on this cruise have also been pestering her about what we're about," the Doctor said, frustrated.  "I think you'll find, Mr. Kelly, that I didn't ask you about your assistant, who is a young woman."

"Because it's clear that I'm not involved with her," Mr. Kelly leaned in and whispered, as if it were a secret, "The two of you often hold hands."

The Doctor threw his hands up and threw a grin around the table.  "What's a little hand holding around friends?  And in some cultures, as you must very well know, couples don't hold hands, family members and friends do."

"Not your culture," Lyssk pointed out.

"I don't think you really know my culture.  And as it turns out, Miss Tyler and I are from two completely different planets." The Doctor stood up and jammed his hands into his pockets.  "Now, since our 'meeting' is over, which, by the way, completely defeats the purpose of a holiday, I think I'll be going.  I've left Miss Tyler alone and she doesn't know anyone."  He smiled before headed out the door.  "I'll see you all at dinner!"

And he probably would see them at dinner.  He'd take Rose to dinner, as he had every night of the cruise, and they would make nice with the beings they sat with, and then they'd go to the deck and watch the sunset, which was different on New Earth and Rose loved it.  And at that point he'd probably stand a bit too close to her and she would definitely let him, his arm coming around her waist as she shivered.

He didn't have the heart or the willpower to tell her that if was downright balmy and if she was shivering in this weather than she was most definitely sick.  It couldn't be anything too severe, in any case.  He'd talk to her about it and scan her once they got back on the TARDIS.  Then she could recover for as long as they needed to.

Now, however, it was their holiday!  And they'd seen so much of New Earth, and it was completely lovely and it was nice to finally _relax_ for once.  Odd, but he couldn't say that he was complaining.  It was odd, though, how Rose didn't seem to care about not having danger.  He knew she thought it was a nice change, but she wasn't making a big deal about it.

"No trouble?" She'd laughed, "Will we ever even manage it?"

About a month ago?  He'd've said no, knock on wood, and she would've laughed right along with him about it.  But they were trouble free so far and he planned on keeping it that way.


	2. Chapter 2

Rose had heard through the grapevine that dinner was going to served after sunset, which she didn't mind since the sunsets there were so gorgeous.  So she continued to stand on the deck and lean on the rail.  The sun started to descend towards the water and she found herself lost in the beauty of it.

It was much like an Earth sunset, but much more intense.  The colors were richer, the purples darker and the yellows blindingly bright, but she couldn't bring herself to look away.  The first day there she had taken pictures on her mobile, and while they were good photos, they didn't do the sunset justice.  The Doctor assured her that she was an excellent photographer and it had nothing to do with her skills.

Now that she had those pictures, though, she could simply stand, her elbow on the rail and her chin in her hand, and enjoy the thing for what it was.  That was one of the perks of travelling with the Doctor.  She experienced so much more than the average human, and she could never thank him enough for it.  And when he came back, she planned to thank him again for it.  She drew her jacket more fully around her body and shivered against the impending cold of night. 

She felt a jacket settle around her shoulders and jumped a little at the contact, breaking out of her thoughts.  She looked over her shoulder to see that it was the Doctor's coat and the Doctor was standing behind her.  He grinned at her and came to stand up next to her, his shoulder brushing hers as he leaned forward onto the railing.

She tipped her head onto his shoulder and sighed contentedly, crossing her arms under his Janis Joplin coat.  He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and allowed her to cuddle into his side.  In their little bubble where the pretended to be best friends and nothing more, this was a completely normal gesture.  To anybody else watching, they looked very much like a very happy couple. 

"Thanks," Rose whispered, squinting against the blinding sunset.  

The Doctor smiled and scrunched his eyebrows up, looking down at the top of her head.  "What for?" He asked, sounding genuinely confused.  Couldn't have that. 

"I dunno," Rose shrugged.  "For everything, I guess.  I'd still be working at that shop in London, dead ended for the rest of my life, if I hadn't come with you."

"If there's anybody who should be thanking anybody else, I should be thanking you," The Doctor replied, as the sun began to dip fully beneath the water.  "Better with two."

"Better with two," Rose agreed.

The two of them stood in silence for awhile, waiting until the sunset had finished, its glory diminishing beneath the choppy waves as the moon rose on the other side of the boat.  But they kept watching the sun's side, and only when Rose shivered did the Doctor suggest they go inside for dinner. 

Rose had brought a few evening gowns on board to wear to dinners, since they were usually black-tie, and the Doctor had grumbled when she made him bring on a black suit that so strongly resembled a tuxedo that he almost ranted and raved about it before he saw home important it was to her.  After that he packed it without another word. 

He changed in the little bathroom cabin they had, grumbling about the lack of space inside and wondering why no one had figured out bigger on the inside technology besides the Time Lords, darn them all.  Darn everyone, darn this tiny bathroom, and this suit, and he was going to have to have Rose tie his tie because he was really struggling here. 

He huffed and stepped out of the bathroom, all anger completely forgotten when he saw Rose.  She was wearing a deep red gown that fit in a mermaid style, with thin straps and what looked like a light dusting of glitter.  That glitter really should've looked tacky, but the Doctor found that it didn't look so on Rose.

Her hair was done up in some sort of twist the Doctor couldn't begin to understand.  As clever as he was, women's hair would always seem to evade him.  Two tendrils of curled hair framed her face, almost covering the diamond earrings she was wearing. 

She stepped into her shoes and turned to face him, a very satisfied look written on her face.  He realized that look as contentment, and he decided he wanted to see her like that much more often, if he could.

She looked down at herself when she saw his expression and lifted her gaze back to him, her brow furrowed.  "It's too much, isn't it?  You know, I just hadn't worn it yet, and I thought-"

"No, it's not too much," The Doctor cut in, "You've seen what some of these people wear.  You look lovely."  He tossed her an easy grin and then awkwardly gestured to his tie.  "Do you think you could help me out with this?" He asked sheepishly.

"You tie your own ties every day," Rose laughed, stepping forward to tie it anyways, "Are you feeling a little cramped, Doctor?"

He resisted the urge to set his hands on her waist and nodded a little.  "Yeah, a bit.  I don't mind though," he insisted, "I really do think we needed this holiday."

Rose nodded, her tongue poking between her teeth in concentration.  "Yeah," she agreed, "We did.  We always need one, but we never take one.  I've never been on a holiday outside of Britain," she grinned up at him.  "And now I've been everywhere."

"Not everywhere," the Doctor corrected, "But I'll take you everywhere," she tightened the knot on his tie and looked up at him for a moment.

She ran her fingers through his hair once, something she'd never done and almost made him paralyzed with the fear that he'd grab her and snog her if she didn't stop that now.  She didn't seem to think anything wrong with it, however, focusing on giving his hair the perfect ruffle.

"There," she said, satisfied.  "Shall we go?"

The Doctor cleared his throat and nodded, "Absolutely, Dame Rose."  He held his arm out for her and she giggled as she took it.

They always took the long way to dinner, since they were close to the dining room and if the Doctor and Rose didn't like one thing, it was being early, so they looped the boat before coming back to it.  They'd established it after the first night when they'd been some of the only people in the room and felt so uncomfortable that they agreed to never do it again.

In the light of the moon, stars, and the little lights lit around the boat, they made their round, the only sound their murmured conversation and Rose's high-heeled shoes against the floor.  She seemed very relaxed and at ease, and the Doctor tried to remember the last time he'd seen her like this.  He realized it had been quite a while, and he couldn't help but feel guilty for it.

However, she was happy with him, she told him often, and he loved that she told him.  It somehow validated him, and though he felt wrong for her being his validation, it kept him happy, and it kept her happy, and so it continued.

"Who are our dinner companions tonight?" Rose asked cheerfully as they finally neared the dining room.

"Mr. Alfred Kelly and his assistant..." The Doctor paused, at a loss for the woman's name.  "Do you... Do you remember her name?"

"I think it's Tiffany," Rose supplied helpfully.  "Pretty sure."  She paused for a moment and the Doctor watched her as she nodded resolutely.  "Yeah, yeah, it's Tiffany."

"Rose Tyler, what would I do without you?" he grinned at her and she giggled, waving him off.  "Forget your own name, probably."

He snorted out a laugh.  "Probably."

She'd do anything to get close to him, honestly.  And linking an arm through his was so much closer than holding hands, and though she'd never tell him, she really did like it.

A strong gust of wind blew just then, one that seeming came out of nowhere, sending the Doctor into a wall.  "Rose," he reached out and pulled her to him as the wind continued.

"Where'd that come from?" She asked as it died down.

"Don't know," the Doctor furrowed his brow.  "We may be in for a storm."

At the same moment they both realized that they were still holding onto each other, and their eyes locked, a startled expression at Rose's arms around his waist and the Doctor's hands splayed across her back.

Oh, the urge to just lean forward and kiss him was incredibly strong, and she could do it, she really could, and _sod_ dinner as long as he kissed her back.  But she had no way of knowing that he would, so instead she gave him a sheepish smile.

The Doctor gave a little hum and kissed her forehead before moving out of her embrace and putting his arm out for her again.  She linked arms with him gratefully and he led her into the dining hall.


	3. Chapter 3

The dining room was actually magnificent.  It was something Rose would've pictured from the Titanic, ornate and spacious and gorgeous.  The walls were a deep maroon, chandeliers hanging throughout the giant room.  Everything glittered and was classy and suddenly Rose felt a bit underdressed.

After seeing how some of the people (or sort-of people) were dressed, her nerves were calmed.  The Doctor seemed to sense her thoughts and squeezed her arm.  "Don't worry," he promised, "No one's going to judge you.  They're all big fans of yours."

Mr. Alfred Kelly, who the Doctor had spoken to earlier, stood up from his table and waved them over, a smile lighting up his face.  The Doctor offered a wave and tugged Rose along towards the round table where the man stood.

"He's human, right?" Rose asked around her blinding smile.

"I think so," The Doctor replied, "But one can never be too sure about species stuff." He pulled Rose the rest of the way to the table, where Mr. Kelly had sat down again, with his assistant Tiffany, next to him.

Based on the fact that the small, rounded table had only four seats, Rose could guess that they'd be dining alone.  She didn't really know these people and was a little nervous about making small talk with them.  She'd had 'assistant's chats' with Tiffany and she seemed very nice, but she wasn't quite ready to get through a whole dinner with her.

The Doctor pulled out her chair for her and Rose took a seat, smiling up at the Doctor in thanks.  He threw her a grin in return and sat next to her after shaking Mr. Kelly's hand.  She noticed it only took about two seconds before he was grappling for her hand under the table.

"Miss Tyler," Mr. Kelly nodded to her.  "I trust you know Tiffany."

Tiffany, who was a brunette human girl that made Rose jealous of every single bit of her, smiled lightly at Rose.  Her hair fell in effortless waves over her shoulders and she had eyes to match, and Rose was afraid that if the Doctor were to ever fall in love it would be with someone like Tiffany.

Granted, she wasn't the most clever person, but that train of thought just led to Reinette and Rose had to tamper that down before it continued on too far.  She was a little disappointed she couldn't hate the other girl, because she was just so nice.  Rose forced a smile in return, squeezing the Doctor's hand as jealousy surged through her.

"Yeah, we've spoken before.  Nice to see you again."

"Nice to see you too, Rose."  Tiffany flashed a wider, white smile at Rose.

"This is Doctor John Smith, Tiffany," Mr. Kelly gestured to the Doctor, who smiled politely.  "He was in the meeting this afternoon.  Well, physically that is."

The Doctor squinted and tugged his ear with his free hand, looking a little embarrassed.  "I tend to get, well, a bit distracted.  Miss Tyler can attest to that," he smiled sheepishly.  "I do my best, though, you must know that."

"I do," Mr. Kelly said reassuringly.  He turned his attention to Rose and gave her a small smile.  "You came up in the conversation after the meeting, my dear."

Rose couldn't resist cocking an eyebrow.  "Oh, I did?  I'm no Doctor, or anyone super important, you know, but-"

"I meant to talk to you about it, Rose," the Doctor cut in casually.  "A rousing discussion.  Everyone seemed rather interested in you."

He tried to shoot Mr. Kelly a warning look, a 'back off the blonde' look that was usually reserved for one Captain Jack Harkness, but the other man acted as though he hadn't seen it and continued right along. 

"Oh, yes, we were," he nodded.  "More interested in the relationship between the two of you."

Rose felt her cheeks color at the words.  Great, another group of people who thought they were together.  Of course.  "We're friends," she said simply.  "Best mates, have been for awhile."

"Everyone sort of guesses who's together, anyways," Tiffany came to Rose's rescue, "And if two people are together, if you don't mind me saying so, Mr. Kelly, isn't it their business?  Just how much did you pester Doctor Smith?"

"It was a group effort," Mr. Kelly said defensively.  "I'm sure everyone on the boat is curious about you two."

"We travel a lot," the Doctor said, discreetly pulling his and Rose's joined hands to rest on his knee under the table.  "Anywhere we go, someone's asking questions, about where we're from, what we're doing there, and what species we are," he lifted a shoulder in a non-committal shrug.  "I'm sure you can imagine that the two of us get used to it."

"Besides, Mr. Kelly, how would you feel if I asked if you were with Tiffany?" Rose burst in, unable to stop herself.  She didn't miss the Doctor's quiet huff of laughter next to her.

Mr. Kelly sputtered for a moment, and Tiffany bit her lip to hold back any laughter that threatened to escape.

"I'm much too old for Tiffany, Miss Tyler, I'm nearly twenty years her senior!"

The Doctor had to hide his laughter this time as a cough, and took a sip from his water glass on the table.  "Yes, well," he settled his glass on the table, "Age this, age that.  It's neither here nor there, is it?"

A spark lit in Tiffany's eye and Rose had the sudden urge to claim the Doctor right on that table before she remembered he wasn't hers to claim.  She settled for scooting her chair a little closer to him.  She couldn't very well tell the other woman to back off when they insisted they weren't a couple, could she?

He accepted the gesture, as she had guessed he would, and sent her a reassuring glance and smile.  Turning back to the two across from them, he decided to change the subject.  "So, what's for dinner tonight, eh?"

"Some really foreign dishes," Mr. Kelly picked up the laminated paper from the center of the table and peered at it.  "Appetizer is... Vacuum Packed Jellyfish Squares."

Rose fought not to wrinkle her nose and the Doctor leaned towards her ear. "You'll probably like them, actually," he said lowly, and she repressed a shiver when he stayed subtlety leaning towards her to inform her on the dishes.

"Main course, Bonet Lish," Mr. Kelly continued.

"That's the bones of a fish that lives on Loneer VI," the Doctor informed her.  "The meat isn't edible, but the bones look like very sad pasta.  They're very succulent, dissolve in your mouth."

"And, dessert is an old earth dish, chocolate mousse," Mr. Kelly furrowed his brows.  "They're serving us moose?"

"No, Mr. Kelly, it's whipped chocolate," Rose jumped in helpfully.  "I think you'll rather like it, it's fantastic."

The Doctor offered her an approving smile.  

"How do you know that?" Mr. Kelly asked.  "That's rather impressive."

"Rose is from the 21st Century," the Doctor divulged.  "She's well versed in the culture of her time," he turned to make eye contact with her.  "It's been quite a while since we visited there, actually."

"Well, where are you from, Doctor Smith?" Tiffany asked, leaning forward, her chin in her hand.  Rose felt another surge of anger leash up at this woman.  She was quite finished with this and thought it best they sit with somebody else.  She unconsciously clenched her hand around the Doctor's in an almost painful grip.  He simply stroked his thumb along hers in reply.

"Here and there," he said dismissively.  "Because of Miss Tyler, though, I'm rather familiar with the 21st Century, and you can assume I'm from there."

Rose let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding at the words.

Was this really the kind of woman she was these days?  Possessive over her best mate?  And not even possessive as if he were her best mate, possessive as though he were her _lover_.  And unfortunately, he was anything but. 

The first course was brought out and Rose found that the Doctor was right.  While disturbing to look at, the jellyfish squares weren't horrible and she was able to genuinely enjoy the course.  She voiced this to the Doctor, who gave her a little "I told you so."

She was also pleased to note that the Doctor was eating left-handed and kept his right one in hers.

"Doctor Smith, I didn't know you were left handed," Mr. Kelly stated conversationally.

"Ambidextrous," The Doctor replied casually, grinning at the other man.  "Keeps things interesting, you know."

The dinner conversation continued as the Bonet Lish was brought out.  Rose was a bit more skeptical of this dish, and watched the Doctor take a bite.

"Try it," he said encouragingly.  He waggled his eyebrows, "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Right next to yours, apparently," she laughed, and took a bite.  The Doctor watched her anxiously for her opinion.  She turned to him and nodded.  "You were right," she agreed.  "Very succulent."

"Told you," The Doctor said cheerfully.  Tiffany was watching him again and Rose bristled.  She was going to have to keep an eye on him.

Thankfully, the rest of the dinner passed without incident, and the Doctor excused them before the hypervodka drinking started.  Both the Doctor and Rose had decided to not get sloshed on this cruise.  The only time they ever drank was on the TARDIS, where they knew nothing would attack them while they were inebriated. 

The Doctor stood, his hand still locked in Rose's, and after saying their goodbyes they walked from the dining room.   Rose swung their hands, glad to be away from everyone in the dining room.

"That Tiffany girl is a bit much," The Doctor wrinkled his nose.  "Couldn't get away from her fast enough."

"She fancies you," Rose replied curtly, bringing herself a little closer to him.

"Rose Tyler, are you jealous?" He asked, his voice full of amusement.

Rose colored deeply.  She glanced up at him and quickly dropped her gaze.  "I am not," she said quietly.

"Are too," he said, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Let's just go back to the room," Rose rushed out, pulling him along.

The Doctor made a humming noise behind her.  "You know, I was thinking we could go dancing tomorrow."

Rose stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him fully.  The tension was practically radiating between them, but she knew nothing would come of it, because, well, it never did.  "Really?"  She asked, surprised.

The Doctor nodded, his face earnest.  "We haven't done that since leather," he grinned at her and they resumed the walk back to their room.

Their room was spacious, but had one bed, which was never really a problem for either of them.  They'd shared beds in jail cells before, so why should a cruise be any different?  They took turns in the shower and by the time the Doctor had come back into the main room, Rose was already snuggled up under the covers. 

He crawled in next to her and shut the light out.  He'd not really slept the whole cruise, so tonight would be the one night he did until they went home.  He settled down on his back and tried not to grin too widely as Rose sought him out and wrapped an arm around his waist.  He curled one of his arms around her shoulders and settled a hand over the arm that was on him.  "Goodnight, Rose."

She mumbled something that may have been 'goodnight' as she cuddled into his chest and fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

They woke to the sound of shattering and banging.  The Doctor sat up, taking Rose with him and nearly tipping her over.  She blinked and looked up at him, her face full of confusion.  "What was that?" She whispered, as if someone else were in the room with them.

"It sounded like it came from on deck," the Doctor replied, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing up.  He started grappling for his suit and coat and began the process of changing right in front of Rose.

To her credit, Rose tipped her eyes up to look at the ceiling instead of him.  "You want to investigate?" She suggested.

"Yes, I'd like to investigate," he said, pulling his oxford on over his undershirt.  Rose decided it was safe to look at him, and after chancing a quick glanced darted up to throw a hoodie and jeans over her tank top and sleep shorts.

She picked her brush up from the counter and ran it through her hair as the Doctor tugged his trainers on in a rush.  Rose jammed on socks and trainers and stood up to see the Doctor holding his hand out for her, fully clothed again, his hair an artful mess. 

She took his hand and he threw her a grin before pulling both of them out of the room.  People were already in the hallways outside the cabin, panicking and in their bathrobes.  The Doctor and Rose wound through the confusion and made their way to the deck, where the chaos was substantially less.  Lyssk, Mr. Kelly, Tiffany, and Akai'na were already standing there, looking remarkably calm under the circumstances.

"What was all the noise?" The Doctor asked.  "There doesn't seem to be any damage."

"Doctor Smith!" Tiffany beamed, and the Doctor offered her a polite smile in return.

Akai'na waited until he had the Doctor's full attention, and pointed behind him and above his head.

The Doctor and Rose turned and saw that the great decorative mast of the cruise had been completely ripped off and had scattered across the whole boat.  Rose glanced down around their feet, at the little pieces of wood scattered about.

"What happened?" She asked. 

"No one seems to know, not even the captain," Lyssk twirled a chord of her stark-white hair around her long fingers.  "He shot right back up to drive right after he talked to us.  You just missed him."

All of a sudden the boat lurched, sending all of them to the floor.  Rose ended up on the Doctor and Akai'na ended up falling on both of them, the other three scattered apart. 

The alien rolled off of them, murmuring an apology that the time-travelers accepted easily.  He helped Rose and the Doctor to their feet, and immediately the Doctor started walking towards the rail.  Having the feeling he was about to do something completely daft, Rose followed him and stood next to him. 

The Doctor licked his finger and stuck it in the air, focusing for a moment.  He dropped his hand and turned to Rose.  "We've changed course.  Completely, almost a one-eighty, in fact."

"Why?" She asked, linking her arm through his against the cold.  "Where are we headed now?"

The Doctor turned slowly to look in the direction they were now headed.  Ahead of them was a looming island, and even from here they could see the sharp rocks poking out from the increasingly shallow water.  "There."

Rose breathed out a sort of shocked sigh.  "What are we going to do?"

"That's why the captain ran," the Doctor said, returning his attention to Rose.  "He's trying to fix it, but the boat is obviously not turning, now why is that?"

Rose opened her mouth to answer but Tiffany had appeared on the other side of the Doctor.  "Why, Doctor Smith?" She asked, a dreamy smile on her face.

In response, Rose furrowed her brows at the young woman.  "Because something's pulling us," she shot back.  "That's the only reason we'd be drawn toward there, why we turned so fast.  Some kind of small gravity field or magnet for a specific type of material on the boat."

The Doctor beamed at her.  "That's my girl."  He turned towards the other people on the deck.  "Now, we've got to have everyone take cover, because we're going to wreck, and it's going to be rough," he glanced around to make sure everyone was paying attention.  "Rose, Akai'na and I will take decks A and B, we need to get everyone up here in case we sink.  Mr. Kelly, Lyssk, Tiffany, you all get decks C and D."

Rose turned her gaze to Tiffany, daring her to ask to come with her and the Doctor.  The other woman shrank back in response, eliciting a small amount of pride in Rose as she set off with the two men towards Deck A.

People were already panicking over the sounds that had been made.  They all started shouting, but their voices were lost in the din already happening around them.  The Doctor gave a helpless look to Akai'na, who nodded in response. 

The blue alien opened his mouth and a sharp squealing noise emitted from him.  Rose winced and clapped her hands over her ears, but the effect was immediate.  Everyone on the deck shut up and turned towards Akai'na, panic written all over their faces.

"Go up to the main deck!" The Doctor shouted.  When no one moved, he flapped his hands dramatically.  "Now!"

They didn't need to be told again.  They all ripped passed the three of them, nearly slamming Rose to the ground on several occasions.  They pushed through the people as they fled, and started to head towards Deck B.

"I hope the others are getting it done this quickly," Rose said. 

"They haven't got Akai'na!" The Doctor beamed, "but I'm sure they're doing their best."

It seemed that the same process worked just as effectively on Deck B, allowing the Doctor, Rose, and Akai'na to race back up the main deck as the real problems began.  An aggressive shaking motion started on the boat as they were reaching the top.

Rose managed to keep upright as they reached the main deck.  Mr. Kelly, Lyssk, and Tiffany found them again rather quickly.  

"We've got everyone," Lyssk said, "Where are the boat employees?  Should we fetch them?"

"I'm sure they get updated on what's going on," the Doctor assured her.  "The main concern was the people."  He glanced around at the people who were still panicking, but on a more subdued level now that they were subjected to the cold.  They pulled bathrobes around themselves and huddled in each other's arms, which kept them busy.

Lyssk nodded curtly and disappeared back into the crowd to do damage control.  Tiffany bounded up to the pair of them, a smile on her face.  "Alright!  Now what?"

"Now, we hunker down and wait for impact," the Doctor said grimly.  "There's nothing else to it, we're going to crash."

He reached for Rose's hand again and tugged her away from Tiffany and the rest of the people.  He brought her to a far wall by the railing and squatted, pulling her down with him.

"Wha-"

"We need to absorb impact," he said, as they sat tucked together in the corner.  It was vaguely reminiscent of Downing Street, impending doom and all that.  She squeezed her eyes shut as another tremor rocked the boat.

The Doctor switched the hand that was holding Rose's and locked his other arm around her shoulders, drawing her to him.  

"You didn't warn anyone else to do this," Rose pointed out.

"Didn't have time to warn anyone, saving you is my priority," the Doctor said simply.

And then they crashed.  


	5. Chapter 5

The jolt sent Rose and the Doctor into the corner, and she could hear his jaw click painfully as they hit it.  He didn't even give himself time to recover, just pulled Rose farther with him into the corner as more panic ensued on the deck.

"Was it a storm?" Rose shouted over the din.  "Like a wind storm, or some alien thing?  Under the sea?"

"It doesn't feel like a real storm," the Doctor shouted back.  "This is forced.  It's too precise to be natural, even on an alien world with different moons."

Rose nodded, trying to process all the information around the buzzing in her head.  "Okay, so something directed us this way?  But why?"

The Doctor shook his head.  "I don't know."

Another impact shook the ship, and the Doctor pulled Rose almost into his lap before turning and shielding her from falling debris.  He didn't even pretend like everything was going to be okay, didn't smile and wink at her.  He just stared over her head, a stoic look on his face.

She stared up at him, and he finally moved to look down at her.  They locked eyes, holding onto each other through the tremors shaking through the boat.  The Doctor winced as a sharp piece of wood knocked him in the back.  Rose shot her hands up to wrap around his back to protect him, but he shook his head and moved her hands back to his chest.

Rose managed to look over the Doctor's shoulder and saw someone trip and fall through a hole that had developed in the railing.  She winced and shuddered, and the Doctor turned to look over at what she was looking at and cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him, before moving them back around her.

"Rose, look at me, it's okay," the Doctor fought for her attention, forced eye contact.  "You and me, we're going to be okay.  Rose?  Look at me."

She couldn't helped the panic that welled up at witnessing a death, someone plummeting into the water.  She tried to keep her breathing even and focused on the Doctor's eyes, voice, and arms holding her steady.  He told her to look at him and she dutifully complied, watching him and breathing sharply through her nose.

"We're going to be alright, we always are, you know that."

The screams of more people falling met her ears and she shuddered.  The Doctor slid down next to her and pressed her ear to his chest, covering the other with his hand so the only sounds she heard were his hearts beating against her cheek. 

She'd seen death, she couldn't pretend that she hadn't, especially while being with the Doctor, but never had she been so powerless as it happened around her.

After what felt like years and years, the boat started to tilt to the side, and the Doctor stood up, pulling Rose with him.  He looked over the railing where they stood and saw a beach beginning to stretch out below them.

"Jump to the beach!" He shouted, waving an arm violently, catching the attention of several.  He pointed over the railing.  "Jump to the beach!"

They didn't have to be told twice.  The people started to jump over the side, landing safely, if a little painfully, on the sand.  The boat continued to tilt, and the Doctor held the rail and Rose held the Doctor. 

"Rose, jump off onto the beach," the Doctor said, "You need to help them calm down, I'll meet you down there, I promise."

Rose nodded and they squeezed each other in a brief farewell hug before helping her over the railing.  She fell with a heavy 'oof' and immediately stood, looking around her for someone to help, something to do.

She found a higher place of wet sand and stood on it.  "Everyone, get away from the boat!" She shouted, drawing the attention of the few on the beach.  She pointed towards what looked like a tropical forest.  "Go to the edge of the tree line, it's safer there!"

Unfortunately, not everyone was willing to jump, and not everyone had heard the Doctor, so there were few jumpers.  Rose directed those who came, standing alone near the boat on the beach, exactly where she was telling people not to stand. 

They followed her instructions blindly, like she was someone important that they should definitely listen to her.  They were panicking but coherent, which was probably the best to be expected at this point. 

Rose didn't really know what else to do besides direct them.  No one was going into the forest, which seemed to be a good thing at the moment, but there weren't very many people, only about twenty-five by Rose's count.

Mr. Kelly dropped off the boat and rolled slightly before standing up.  "Miss Tyler!" he shouted.  "What-"

"Go towards the tree line," she replied, as if that solved everything.  The man stood for a moment, gaping at her taking charge, probably since she was an "assistant".  But eventually he managed to get out, "Where's Tiffany?"

As if in response, the young woman dropped to the beach and rolled forwards, knocking her head into the sand.  Rose tried not to be too excited about it.  She whipped her head up and stared at Mr. Kelly and Rose.  "The people aren't really listening to Doctor Smith," she said, "No one else wants to jump." 

"What about Lyssk and Akai'na?" Rose asked.

"They're helping," Tiffany responded, standing up and brushing herself off.  "I offered to stay and help but Doctor Smith said I should go."

Rose agreed.

"Get to the tree line, now," Rose said, pointing furiously. 

"I'll stay with you and wait for Doctor Smith and the others," Tiffany replied.

Could this woman be any more obvious about her crush on the Doctor?  Rose bristled and she was sure it was visible.  She huffed a breath.  "Tree line! Now!"

Mr. Kelly grabbed Tiffany's arm and pulled her away, much to Rose's selfish relief. 

As Tiffany predicted, no one else jumped until Lyssk and Akai'na fell into the sand.  They ran and embraced Rose, chattering about the destruction above, until Rose could take no more and then simply pointed violently at the forest.

She hadn't noticed before, but the boat was almost all the way sunk into the ocean.  Whoever would jump was almost too late, since it was almost completely sideways in the water, the rocks tearing at it. 

Rose watched anxiously for more jumpers, watched anxiously for the Doctor, and she finally saw a flash of brown coat at the last possible second.  She was almost sure he waited so long just to scare her half to death.

Unable to stop herself (and seeing Tiffany spot the Doctor as well) she ran towards him calling his name.  He whipped around from looking at the forest to her, and she saw his body sag with relief before he started running towards her. 

They collided in a tangle of limbs that almost took them both onto the sand with the force of it.  He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his breathing labored as he crushed her to him. 

She wasn't sure how long they stood there, holding each other, the Doctor occasionally murmuring her own name into her hair, before pulling back and examining her, his hands set on her waist, hers on his shoulders.

"Are you alright?" He asked, worry creasing his brow.

She nodded.  "I told everyone to get back towards the treeline, I thought it'd be safer," she replied.  "Are you okay?  You... You jumped at the last possible second!"

"I tried to get as many people off as I could," he replied, "But not many would jump."

They both turned their heads to look at the crowd of about thirty people that were still trying to collect themselves by the forest.  There had been three hundered on the boat.

Rose let out a sort of choked sob and tipped her head forwards onto the Doctor's chest.  He wrapped his arms loosely around her back, rubbing soothingly with one hand.  "We did what we could Rose." He whispered.  "We did what we could, and it's alright.  We saved thirty people."

Rose nodded against his suit.  "But we didn't save everyone."

The Doctor turned between the boat, which was almost completely submerged, and the others who were on the island.  He sighed and stroked her hair gently once.  "C'mon, Rose, time to play Gilligan's Island for awhile."

He pulled away and reached for her hand.  She took it and together they walked towards the survivors.   


	6. Chapter 6

The survivors were already panicking to some level, seeing the ship dip below the surface of the water, and many of the other passengers with it.  Rose turned to the Doctor, a puzzled look on her face.

"Isn't the water shallow there?" She asked, "The ship shouldn't be able to be completely submerged, should it?" 

The Doctor twisted over his shoulder and glanced at the sinking boat.  "No, it shouldn't."  He turned to look at her.  "But it is.  Which means something most definitely wants us here."

Rose watched him for a moment, her face intent.  "I was really worried about you back there.  I thought you were going down with the ship."

A soft smile graced his face and he gave her hand a tight squeeze.  "I worry about you all the time.  Now you know what it feels like."

She rolled her eyes and he laughed as they reached the group at the tree line.  Mr. Kelly and Lyssk approached them, looking calm but worried.

"Well done, Doctor Smith," Lyssk commended, nodding slightly.  "You and your assistant would be the only ones alive if you hadn't saved any of the others."

"Just doing the right thing, Lyssk," the Doctor replied.  "It's really that simple.  Or, it should be."

Mr. Kelly glanced around.  "Yes, Doctor Smith, I have to say I admire you.  I think you should be put in charge of this little motley crew until help arrives.  I can speak to the others."

The Doctor opened his mouth to protest, but Rose was quicker.  "He'll never tell you to do that himself, Mr. Kelly," she said, "but he's our best shot."

"I agree," replied Tiffany from where she had sauntered up to Mr. Kelly's side.  "We should all talk to the others."

"I think what Rose and I will do is start gathering firewood," the Doctor diverted expertly.  "You all do what you want, I won't stop you.  But it's the dead of night and people must be cold.  Mr. Kelly, I suggest you and Lyssk gather wood for a second fire."

And with that he tugged Rose off into the forest, leaving a very stunned little party behind them. 

"You were being rude again," Rose chastised as he dragged her through the forest in search of firewood.

"I don't want to be the leader, Rose, I had to be the leader during the Time War and I-" he turned to her, his lips pursed.  "You know how that ended."

She laid a hand on his cheek, her brow furrowed, trying to get him to relax, to understand that this was a good thing.  "Doctor, you're our best shot.  I wasn't lying when I said that.  The Time War doesn't define everything you do after.  Got it?"

He studied her face for a moment, allowing her words to sink in.  She slowly dropped her and from his face and nodded slowly.  "Got it," he said quietly, and released her hand to start picking up wood. 

Rose followed his lead, sensing that that was all that needed to be said, and started tucking fallen branches under her arm, trying to accept the situation at hand.  She never thought she'd be in a shipwreck, but then again, she never thought she'd be travelling time with a 900-year old alien, but there it was, after all. 

They gathered enough to start a good fire and the Doctor saved room in a pocket to put stones in to line the fire pit with.  He was so clever, and every time he proved that Rose had to be a little proud of him, in the way a woman in love is proud of a man.  So every time she had to shake it and follow along after him like she hadn't just been thinking about kissing him or loving him forever. 

They returned to the beach to see people already shivering, holding onto themselves and Rose helped the Doctor set up the first fire.  Lyssk and Mr. Kelly emerged from the forest and started setting up a second on a little ways down.  Both fires would be big enough for the people on the beach, and hopefully they would keep through the night.

The Doctor started chattering to the people who watched them build the fire, easing their nerves and making them feel at home. 

"Rose Tyler, that's my assistant here, A class cuddler.  I could rent her out for cuddling, I could.  If any of you want to snuggle up next to her tonight, though, you can forget it.  Once I get this fire going she's all mine.  Are you two a couple?  Well, you should be, you're both very lovely, you should try having a cuddle once we get this fire going."

The couple the Doctor was talking to blushed, and Rose found herself blushing too at the Doctor's words.  She couldn't tell if he'd meant what he'd said, if he was going to stay with her through the night or not. 

Rose handed him another branch for him to snap in half and asked, "What time is it?  We didn't go to sleep that long ago, on the boat."

The Doctor paused, and she could practically see the wheels in his mind whirring.  "It's about midnight," he sent her a grin.  "Time sense."

She smiled in response.  A useful thing, time sense.  Let you know how long you were going to be in jail for on a foreign planet.  It also let you cook without using a timer because you could just take your Time Lord timer into the library with you.

They finally got the fire going, and Mr. Kelly and Lyssk got the other one lit, and the survivors immediately crowded around them, holding each other, laying down, trying to get some much needed rest for the days ahead.  Rose noticed that the two people the Doctor had been talking to earlier had ended up cuddled up together by the fire.

She smiled and nudged his shoulder as they sat down.  "A right matchmaker, you are," she teased. 

He hummed and his arm went around her shoulders instantly and they watched as everyone settled in for the night, an uneasy air passing over the group. 

"You don't think something's going to eat us in the middle of the night, do you?" Rose asked worriedly, tilting her head to look up at him.

"No, I don't," the Doctor said confidently.  "I think we'll be safe tonight."  He lay back, dragging Rose with him so her head was pillowed on his chest.  "Now hush, Rose Tyler, this is my one night of sleep on our lavish cruise."

She giggled and cuddled into him, and his arms wound tightly around her, shielding them both from the chill of the night.  She could've sworn she felt him kiss the top of her head before they both fell into an uneasy sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

The first thing Rose realized was the waking up on a beach wasn't romantic or calming or really anything pleasant at all.  She felt sticky and uncomfortable and she wondered if she could get away with wearing the sleep shorts that were on under her jeans.

She woke with her head on the Doctor's shoulder, his arm wrapped loosely around her shoulders.  How he was sleeping peacefully in a three piece suit she didn't think she'd ever understand, but there it was.  She turned her head slowly, wary of waking him, and saw highlights of pink and gold peaking over the horizon from where she was facing the beach.

The sunrises were just as beautiful as the sunsets on New Earth, so she tried to keep her thoughts calm and simply watched as the sun rose over the ocean. 

Calm thoughts weren't so easy to come by, though.  She just kept realizing how much death there had been, and that she and the Doctor couldn't stop it.  That was their job, wasn't it?  To keep people from dying?  And now over two hundred people were dead and she couldn't help but think that the whole mess was all her fault because she'd never blame the Doctor.

She sat up suddenly, not realizing she had woken him, and pressed the heels of her hands to her forehead.  It was madness, all of it, and how long could she live with people dying because of her?  She'd never leave the Doctor, she knew that, she couldn't.  But could she handle all the destruction that she sometimes left in her wake?  And not to mention she had committed genocide. 

She felt a light touch on her upper back and jolted out of her reverie.  Breathing heavily, she turned to face the very concerned look on the Doctor's face.  He smoothed his hand in circles on her back, calming her.  "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"It's not  your fault," she whispered back, "You couldn't have known."

He nodded slightly, then stood carefully, dusting off his trousers, and held a hand out for her.  Without a second thought she took it and let him pull her to her feet.  He nodded towards the woods and Rose knew he was going to try to get out what had make her upset, since it clearly wasn't being stranded.

They only walked a little ways into the forest before coming across a log that they sat together on.  The Doctor waited for a few moments for her to get comfortable (Which was frankly impossible) before speaking.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"It's nothing," she lied, "Just a little bit of panic, I guess.  Never been shipwrecked before."

She expected him to accept it, because he trusted her.  She didn't want to tell him what she thought about the deaths because she thought he would try to hold himself accountable instead of her.  She didn't want him to have to think about it the way she was, because he'd dealt with the Time War, and for all intents and purposes that had been far worse.  If they were playing that game, she had no right to feel guilty at all.

"Hm," the Doctor didn't break his gaze from hers.

"You don't believe me."

"You have telltale lying signs," he said simply.  Then he grinned at her.  "Keeps you honest."  His smile faded and was replaced again by the look of worry.  "What's really wrong?  You should know that you can tell me."

"I know, but why would I burden you with any of that?" Rose protested.  She shrugged a shoulder.  "Just seems as though I needed a moment and now I can move on."

"I don't believe you again."

"It was worth a shot."

He offered her a soft smile.  "If you think I'm going to be angry with you, you're actually very wrong," he said pointedly.

She arched an eyebrow.  "Alright," she said simply.  "There's over two hundred people dead because I couldn't save them.  Lives, with families and houses somewhere and... And they're gone because maybe I could've been faster, or better about something.  But I wasn't.  And now they're under the ocean that shouldn't even be that deep."  She let out a breath, having finally gotten all that out of her system.

The Doctor sat quietly for a moment, taking in her words and calculating them as only he could.  Slowly, he nodded and looked at her.  "Those people are gone."  He said quietly, "But it's not your fault.  Thirty people are saved because of us, not in spite of us.  And even if we had saved one person, it would've been enough for me."

"Really?" Rose asked, looking for an honest answer from him, to make sure she was hearing this right. 

He nodded firmly.  "Really."

When they travelled back to the beach, the others were starting to wake up and stoke the fires, and complain about being hungry.

"Doctor Smith!" Tiffany bounded up to them, completely ignoring Rose's presence.  "We were just about to go looking for you!"

"I'm a grown man, Tiffany, I can take care of myself," he replied airily, "Besides, I had Rose with me."  He smiled and the two of them walked farther onto the beach.  Rose thought it best to not say anything about what had just happened at that moment, and though she couldn't explain it, the Doctor's response to Tiffany eased a few worries.

"Doctor Smith," Mr. Kelly beckoned him over, a smile on his face. "I've just spoken with the survivors while you were gone, and we've come to a decision."

The Doctor stuffed his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels.  "Okay, and what's that decision, then?"

"They've decided they want you to be the leader until we get off this blasted island."

The Doctor blinked, a shocked look written across his face.  "What?  Why?'

"Because you're the one who saved us," Mr. Kelly scrunched his eyebrows up at the Doctor's response.  "It's very clear, isn't it?"

"If that's the case, Rose should be a leader as well.  But no one mentioned her, so what's the reason?"  He pointed out. 

"Well, no, because you're a Doctor.  Miss Tyler can certainly assist with anything you do, but she was not the primary choice," Mr. Kelly said.

The Doctor turned to Rose.  "What do you think?" he asked quietly.

Rose, of course, knew the Doctor wanted her to say no, absolutely not, never in a million years, but to be truthful she thought that the Doctor was the best shot anybody had of getting out of this situation alive.  And honestly, she didn't really trust anyone else on the ship.

So she turned to him and crossed her arms, nodding slowly.  "You know what?" She cocked her head, "I think you should do it."


	8. Chapter 8

The Doctor's jaw dropped as he looked at Rose.  Mr. Kelly nodded in approval.  "I know you value Miss Tyler's opinion, Doctor Smith," he said simply.  "So maybe that will inspire you?"

The Doctor stood for a moment, looking confused and not quite sure of what to do.  Slowly, he nodded.  "Yes, I suppose that does change things.  But she helps me with any decision that must be made, is that clear?"

Mr. Kelly voiced the affirmative.  "Before you ask, there has been a group sent into the woods to gather food.  I trust you know what would be poisonous on this island?  You seem to know many of those sorts of things... Things none of us seem to know."

"Maybe I look older than I am," the Doctor joked, and Rose snorted out a laugh.  He tossed her a grin in reply.  "I'll check the food when they get back."

It didn't take long for Rose to get bored.  Irreversibly, incredibly bored.  They tended the fire, checked the food for edibility, tended the fire some more.  She watched without drooling as the Doctor shucked his coats (finally, it was starting to get suspicious) and laid them across a large rock. 

She helped boil water, avoided Tiffany at all costs, but decided not to cling too closely to the Doctor for fear of seeming desperate.  She needn't worry, though, because the Doctor lingered near her whenever the chance, probably fearing imminent danger. 

They tried to make a flare, it didn't work.  Tiffany told the Doctor "don't worry, you'll figure it out", and Rose stewed quietly at the edge of the woods for about three hours after that, but it didn't seem to matter because the Doctor didn't joke and nudge and touch Tiffany like he did Rose, and that affirmed her a little bit.

Eventually, in the middle of the afternoon, one of the more buff survivors decided shelter needed built.  The Doctor blinked and reminded them that it was going to be very difficult to do without any sort of cutting devices.  The man scoffed and said he'd figure something out, leaving the Doctor standing and looking very confused indeed.

"D'you think he can actually do that?" Rose asked as she came up next to him.

The Doctor jumped in surprise.  She had come up so suddenly and he had been preoccupied and when had Rose Tyler been able to sneak up on him anyways?  He turned to her and tried not to show how startled he was.  "I don't know, maybe.  I'm certainly not going to try to stop him."

Rose snorted with laughter.  Then she stopped.  "You know, you said you thought somebody wanted us here." She looked at the horizon, where the sun was starting to set.  "Maybe tomorrow we should split off from the group and investigate."

"So you don't want me to be the leader?" the Doctor asked, picking up some of the fruit that the survivors had left, and Rose helped carry the load back to the campsite.

"I wanted you to be the leader when I thought we'd actually be doing something," Rose responded.  "But we're not doing anything to try to get back, and there's some sort of intent behind us being here, and... Let's be honest, by 'us' I mean you and me, because we're always an issue."

The Doctor laughed.  "You're probably right.  As the leaders, we can set off tomorrow in search of a mess.  And we'll appoint a new leader, how about that?"

"I like that," Rose replied as they started distributing the fruit to the survivors.  They seemed very tired, like just trying to stay alive in a strange and barren place, and Rose supposed that would be normal.  They'd lived posh lives, comfortable, free of any sort of danger, unlike herself and the Doctor. 

On some level, she felt bad for leaving them alone, but she knew that no being was helpless.  All have some sort of survival instincts, she knew that.  And she knew they'd have to announce they're leaving so that they would be prepared.

The Doctor seemed to have read her thoughts, because he cleared his throat and rolled his sleeves up.  "Rose and I are going into the forest tomorrow morning to see what our reason for the crash was," he said simply.  "It's not up to debate.  Put burly-shelter-man in charge while we're gone.  He's a go getter."  He smiled.  "We'll be gone by morning.  Eat up and get some sleep."

There were little cries of protest, but the Doctor silenced them all with a look.  It wasn't up for debate.  he'd said that and he meant it.  They ate their dinners with quiet murmurs and stole looks at the Doctor.  Even though they had known him for only a little while, people trusted him, they wanted him to lead them.

If help never came, they'd want the Doctor around.  But Rose knew that they couldn't sit there and not find out what they were supposed to find, who had brought them there.  It was more important than playing house with people who could play it just fine without them.

The Doctor double checked on where his coats were, intending to pick them up before they left the next morning, and waited until everyone else had settled in to go to sleep before leading Rose to the end of the forest.

"If we sleep here, no one is going to be disturbed when we leave," he explained.  "I'll wake you a bit before dawn, is that alright?"

Rose nodded.   "Doctor, what do you think it is?  Really, I want to know what you think."

The Doctor looked at her for a moment.  "I don't know." He said, sounding shocked that he was even saying that.  "I don't know what it is at all, and that's odd for me.  But I think you're right, I think we need to find what it is.  And who better than us?"

"Nobody," Rose grinned. 

She was afraid of what they'd find, she often was, but she knew they might need to find it to protect the people they had managed to save.  And if they didn't do it, if the Doctor and Rose didn't figure out this mess, well, who would?


	9. Chapter 9

The Doctor woke Rose up before dawn, jostling her gently from sleep.  She blinked up at him and nodded before standing and helping the Doctor put his coat on.  She didn't think he really needed it, but he regulated his temperature so he would.  She watched him for a moment, waiting for him to take the lead.  He nodded in the direction of the forest and reached for her hand.

She took it without thinking, in her muscle memory now, and they trucked off into the forest.  They waited until they were well away from the others before she looked over him and thought about speaking.

"How long do you think you could've handled being the leader?" She asked, only half joking.  "Almost a bit like a monarchy.  And you were the king."

He shuddered.  "Don't say that," he said, no hint of teasing in his voice.  "I'm not anybody's king."

She furrowed her brows and looked at him curiously, but decided not to push the issue.  She ran her thumb over his in reassurance and they lapsed back into a comfortable silence.  

Neither of them knew where they were going, or what they were looking for, but they were off, and that was all that mattered.  It scared Rose, how very little they knew, how blind and vulnerable they were in this situation. 

Not that they usually knew what was happening, but there were usually clues or at least something to go off of.  Rose watched the determination on the Doctor's face and matching it with her own.  She thought that she admired him most in those moments, when he remembered who exactly he was.  When he remembered he wasn't some homicidal maniac.

Every once in a while she'd bump her shoulder with his and he'd bump hers back in response.  No words passed between them, but by now both of them knew that words were hardly necessary all the time. 

It was nearly blissful, walking with him in this quiet moment, until there was rustling to the side.  She turned sharply, awaiting some wild animal to befall them, when Tiffany and Mr. Kelly burst through the trees and met up with them. 

Now, Rose had never been a jealous woman.  Had she been peeved when she found out that Mickey had been seeing Trish?  Yes, absolutely, but that was because they were still together at the time.  But the Doctor didn't belong to her, and yet she still found herself wanting to throttle Tiffany every time she came within ten feet of him.

And if she was close enough to touch, she was close enough to die.

Where had that thought come from?  Rose barely stifled an angry sigh and held onto the Doctor's hand just a little tighter. 

"What... What are you two doing here?" The Doctor asked, obviously trying to sound polite.  "I believe I said that Rose and I were going to do this on our own."

"Yes, well, we decided we wanted to help," Mr. Kelly replied nonchalantly.

"I don't think you know exactly who I am," The Doctor replied calmly.  "Rose and I get into a lot of trouble, and it is not safe, what we do.  I really suggest that you go back to the camp.  Now."

"I don't think so, Doctor Smith," Tiffany said, her voice dripping sweetness and making Rose's lip curl.  "We want to help.  We can't just sit around and do nothing, we're scientists!"

"As are you," Mr. Kelly added, as if reminding them.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at them.  "This is absurd.  No, you're not coming with us, frankly because I don't want you to come with us, alright?  Never mind that you'll probably be put in a lot of danger.  Go back."

"You can't make us," Tiffany replied.  "You really can't.  I say you just let us.  We'll be quiet as mice."

Rose looked up at him, pleading for him to keep pushing them to leave, but she knew as well as he did that they were bound and determined to come with them.  The Doctor gave her a frankly apologetic look. 

"Fine.  But don't talk.  I don't want to hear voices besides mine and Rose's; we're hypothesizing."

They hadn't been hypothesizing, of course, but there was no way for Mr. Kelly and Tiffany to know that, and Rose was willing to go with it.  He pulled her along in front of the other two, putting them about three paces behind them.

She could feel the Doctor's frustration radiating off of him, and since they lied about hypothesizing, she looked over and nudged him lightly.  "Do you have any ideas?  I know we're not exactly being given anything to work with here, but-"

"Could be anything," the Doctor replied, cutting her off only because he knew she didn't know where to go after that.  "Literally anything, and that's what's so terrifying."

"This scares you?" She murmured, hoping Mr. Kelly and Tiffany wouldn't pick up on her words.  She hated to admit it, but when the Doctor got scared, it was like she had no choice but to get scared in return.  Whenever the Doctor didn't know things was when said thing got truly frightening.

"I don't always tell you when things scare me, Rose," he said quietly.  "When we were on New Earth the first time, when Cassandra possessed you, I was terrified.  I was afraid you'd been taken from me, that you were gone.  I was horrified at the thought that maybe I couldn't protect you as well as I thought I could."

"I knew it was dangerous when I came with you," Rose protested.  "I knew, I asked you, even.  So you can't get scared when I'm in trouble, cause then we'll both be outright terrified all the time."

The Doctor snorted a little in laughter.  "I guess you're right.  But I'll always worry about you, Rose."

She leaned her cheek against his shoulder for a moment in acknowledgement, and they kept on as they had been.  Neither of them missed the crunch of leaves behind them, and both were irritated by it.  It was just supposed to be the Doctor and Rose, investigating a threat, but that was, unfortunately, not how it worked out. 

Tiffany had, if Rose thought it possible, a frankly annoying gait, bouncy and light and far too cheerful.  She resisted turning around to throttle her on several occasions, but she remembered it was her hand in the Doctor's, and his words directed towards her ear. 

But there was always a chance that the Doctor could go swanning off with her, wasn't there?  She wished she believed that he wouldn't. 

They walked through the woods for only about an hour before stumbling upon what appeared to be a clearing.  Upon further inspection-

"What the hell?" Rose breathed, gazing upwards.

It wasn't a clearing at all, but it had been cleared, and resting comfortably in the center of the area was a giant spaceship.


	10. Chapter 10

Rose's jaw dropped at the sight of the ship, the mere massiveness of it startling her.  This was clearly the 'magnet' that the ship had been drawn to.  She looked over to the Doctor, who had his eyebrows scrunched in concentration. 

"What kind of ship is that?" Mr. Kelly asked, walking up next to the Doctor and crossing his arms, studying the vessel before them as if it were a little bug under a microscope.  He seemed bored and unimpressed, but then again, as a scientist, Mr. Kelly had seemed rather boring.

And she supposed, this being New Earth, that the humans had seen things that people of her time hadn't, such as spaceships and aliens.  Though she was used to it, she hadn't been expecting to see what they had come across, and was surprised that Mr. Kelly was taking an objective standpoint on the whole thing.

The Doctor lifted a shoulder.  "I don't know, it's not like anything I've ever seen before but it looks... Familiar."

Rose found that she had the same feeling.  Whether it was the build, color, or material of the ship she couldn't tell, but something told her that what was inside was something she and the Doctor had faced before.  It was something they might be able to take.

"What do you reckon, Doctor?" Rose asked, "Shall we go ring the doorbell?"

The Doctor looked over at her and smiled.  "Well, we'll go have a looksee.  I don't really know where the door is, though," he said, his voice sounding puzzled. 

Without saying anything to the other two, the Doctor and Rose started to walk towards the ship, very much on a mission.  They might have to sneak in, and, on experience, the two of them were very good at that.  They would be better, though, without the scientist and his assistant trailing along behind them.  Rose had to fight down a sigh at the thought.

"Somebody planned on coming here," she said quietly.

"What's that?" The Doctor asked, sounding distracted.

"They planned on coming here," Rose said again, louder.  "Look at how cleared out this place is, how perfectly it fits the ship, and there's no sign of tree stumps or weeds anywhere.  They planned ahead, but the looks of it."

The Doctor stopped in his tracks, causing Tiffany to bump into his back.  She didn't seem too torn up about it, though.  He didn't apologize, said nothing, but started turning about and glancing at the ground and the trees surrounding the area containing the ship.

"You're right," he said, his eyes scanning the ground and lifting towards the ship.  "Rose Tyler, you _are_ brilliant!  Of course, I always say that, but I doubt you get tired of hearing it, I certainly don't.  But the question is, why did they plan to come here?"

"For the people?" Mr. Kelly cut in, "Are they some sort of organ harvesters?"

"I don't think so," Rose replied, "They'd be far more aggressive about it, probably would've come to us.  These must be intellectual beings, because they drew us in."

"'Us' being you and me specifically," The Doctor agreed, glancing down at Rose.

"How do you know they've come for you?"  Tiffany asked, stepping around in front of the Doctor.  Rose was again struggling on not claiming the Doctor right there again.  What would Tiffany do if she kissed him right there?

That thought was immediately shut down by a thought of 'what would the Doctor do?' that kept her from doing exactly that.  She settled for reaching for his hand again, and it always delighted her, how he subconsciously laced his fingers with hers.

"Because something's always coming for me," the Doctor replied solemnly.  "Which is exactly why I wanted you to stay back."

"But you're a doctor," Tiffany persisted, stepping closer to him.  Her voice was near a purr.  "What would anyone have against doctors?"

"Unless you go back, you're about to find out," The Doctor replied evenly.

It occurred to Rose that he was not flirting back with Tiffany as he had with literally almost any other girl they had come across.  She briefly wondered why that was, but decided on it being because Tiffany was so utterly annoying that it would be impossible for anyone to flirt with her and actually like it.

When she had met the brunette she hadn't seemed so bad.  That was, until she'd met the Doctor at dinner.  She clearly fancied him, and the Doctor was clearly not interested, so what was the deal?  She huffed quietly to herself and pulled the Doctor with her around Tiffany and towards the ship.

The girl stood there, stunned, with Mr. Kelly, who was still observing the ship, and Rose took the opportunity to actually talk to the Doctor about the whole mess of having two people in the way.

Or at least, she meant to talk about both of them.  She ended up fixating on one.

"She fancies you," she said bluntly.

"I noticed," the Doctor replied, equally blunt.

"You should tell her you're not interested, that is, if you're not," Rose added hastily.

"Rose, if I tell her that, she'll just think I'm playing hard to get and come after me."  He lifted a shoulder.  "She's not an issue, I can brush her off."  He looked down at her, and for a moment, their eyes met.  "Besides, I-"

"Ooh!" Tiffany squealed, effectively cutting the Doctor off and running in front of them.  "I think I see the door!"

Unfortunately, Tiffany was right and had indeed spotted a metal door, that would be much like a drawbridge when used, on the side of the ship.  It was hidden, but not terribly so, probably only used for the dispersion of troops. 

The door was wider than it was high, and it would just compensate the Doctor's tall frame.  Rose hoped the hallways were more spacious than this.  Whatever kind of creature used this ship, though, was clearly of a stocky build, and needed a ramp, by the looks of the drawbridge style she had seen a moment before.

"We can't open it," Mr. Kelly said as they approached the door.  "There's no way to get in, no buttons or levers."  He walked to the side and examined it with his palm, but evidently found nothing. 

The Doctor in turn whipped out the sonic screwdriver and pressed it to the door, its light buzzing sound filling the air.

"Blimey!" Mr. Kelly jumped back.  "What is that?"

"Scientific instrument," he said casually, tucking it away and stepping back.  The rest of them followed his lead and as the door descended but Rose and the Doctor knew exactly what kind of ship they were about to go into. 

Their hands found each other again and they glanced at each other and the door before breathing out one word.

"Daleks."


	11. Chapter 11

Mr. Kelly blinked, looking rather startled.  "Wait, what do you mean?  What are Daleks?" He furrowed his brows, concern and anxiety mounting in his voice.  "Are they going to kill all of us?"

Rose and the Doctor shushed Mr. Kelly simultaneously, and he clamped his mouth shut, looking ashamed.  Tiffany just stood with her mouth open, staring at the opened door. 

"Let's go," the Doctor nodded towards the door  "We'll go in and figure out what's going on.  Tiffany, Mr. Kelly, you'd be better off going back.  Honestly.  Leave this to the professionals." He took a step towards the door and turned back as an afterthought.  "That's me and Rose."

"No!" Tiffany stepped forward, and Rose could tell she was trying to look brave for the Doctor.  She and the Doctor both rolled their eyes. 

"Fine, whatever," the Doctor said, sounding exasperated.  "Just don't get in our way.  Understand?"

"Got it," Mr. Kelly nodded firmly.  "We want to help."

"I'll bet you do," the Doctor muttered, grabbing Rose's hand again and pulling her into the ship. 

Rose had never been in a Dalek ship, and she'd eliminated the race.  Or, at least, she thought she had.  There were parts of being the Bad Wolf that she didn't remember.   'Parts' being most of it.  She didn't remember the last bit, and though she knew she'd seen everything that time had to offer, she lost most of it.  There were flashes though, of what shouldn't have been memories.  But they felt like them.

"I-" Rose began, then clamped her mouth shut.

"What is it?" The Doctor asked quietly as they crept through the first tunnel, his eyes flicking over to her but not remaining, scanning every door and crevice as they passed it.

"I..." She lowered her voice to a whisper.  "I killed the Daleks.  All of them, this ship... It shouldn't exist.  I erased their existence."

The Doctor nodded.  "You did.   And that should've done it.  I don't know what happened, but it's something.  There's no way they could come back all by themselves."

"So everything I did was for nothing?" She asked, her voice sounding hopeless and small.  "I committed genocide.  For nothing."

"It wasn't for nothing," the Doctor responded, his grip tightening on her hand.  "You saved the both of us.  You saved so many people."

Rose fell silent, not being able to help the feeling of being useless, like everything she had done had been in vain.  But instead of saying so she gave the Doctor's hand a little squeeze as they headed onwards.

The hallway was seemingly endless, long, and sterile.  Everything seemed to be made of dark metal but the Doctor wasn't intent on trying any of the doors.  He wanted to get into the middle of the ship, to find what was in the center.  Rose knew from experience that he was going to dive right in a question the Daleks themselves.

They both knew that no matter what form the Doctor held, the Daleks would remember him, but quite frankly, Rose wished they would just realize the error of their ways already because it was all getting very old.  They kept coming back, never died, but the Doctor always lost people.  She found that she found it incredibly unfair.

Their footsteps were nearly silent, but Rose could hear the two behind them and cringed with every footfall that made a sound.  They didn't know how long they could sneak, how far they could go without something or someone picking them up on a radar or camera. 

The quiet was deafening, and the Doctor had the distinct feeling that the Daleks already knew they were there.  After all, this had clearly been a setup, and any pretending they'd done at avoiding that had been just that; pretending. 

His suspicions were proved correct when something fell from the ceiling, effectively knocking both Mr. Kelly and Rose out in one blow.  He had been standing right behind her and was therefore taken down with her. 

The Doctor ducked and caught Rose in his arms as she fell, and Tiffany uttered a very loud gasp.  The Doctor shushed her, not because he thought it would help, but just sort of because he wanted to. Then something fell on top of him and Tiffany and they were knocked out as well. 

***

When Rose woke up, she was in what was, very clearly, the floor of a prison cell, and her head ached.  It took her a moment to be able to open her eyes against the harsh white light, but once she could all she saw was Mr. Kelly on his back about six feet away from her, and nothing else in the room. 

She stood up and walked shakily to the bars at the front of the cell closing her and Mr. Kelly in.  The Doctor and Tiffany were nowhere to be found, which made gooseflesh prickle her skin.  "Hey!" she shouted, no longer concerned with being quiet, banging against the bars with her palms.  "Where are the people we came in with?!  I demand someone to answer me!"

The quiet whirring was the only notion she had that someone was coming, and once she heard it she quieted down, waiting for someone to approach her.  A Dalek rolled around the corner and in front of her cell and stood before it.  Rose pulled up to her full height, making herself taller than it, and heard a scream come from next to her in the cell.  So Mr. Kelly was awake. 

"Silence, prisoner," The Dalek screeched, and it was all Rose could do to keep herself from flinching at the sound. 

"No," Rose reported.  "Not until you tell me what happened to the people I came with.  Where are they?"

"They are imprisoned, just like you," the Dalek continued.  "You will not see them.  State your name."

Now here was the moment Rose had been waiting for.  She leaned forward, pressing her face between the bars and staring right into the Dalek's eyestalk.  "You must've heard of me," she said.  "Oh, don't you know just by looking?  Rose Tyler.  The Bad Wolf."

If Rose had thought the screeching had been bad before, it was worse now, the Dalek screaming "What?" over and over again.  It suddenly stated calling out "The Bad Wolf has returned!" and with that her ears were filled with the angered screams of other Daleks, sounding angry, but Rose refused to back down.  This was it.  She had to prove that she was strong enough to handle the assault on her ears.

She turned to look at Mr. Kelly and saw him sitting on the floor, a grimace on his face and covering his ears. 

"Where are they?!" Rose shouted over the mayhem.  "Let us go!"

But she wasn't heard over the Dalek's screams of anger.


	12. Chapter 12

The Doctor woke to the sound of Daleks screaming about Rose Tyler and justice and revenge.  He shot to his feet and stood at the bars, listening to the shouting and trying to pick out Rose's voice, but it soon became clear that she wasn't speaking.  Of course they'd figured out who she was, or she'd told them.  Either was possible, really.

But not hearing her voice among the Daleks made him nervous.  Were they torturing her?  Had something happened?  ...Had they already killed her?

He heard rustling behind him but frankly refused to turn around because he had a feeling that he already knew who was there.  And that person wasn't the person he was used to being in prison cells with.  He knew everything about Rose, when it came to being imprisoned.  He knew how slowly she rolled over in her sleep, the sounds of her breathing. 

The breathing of the woman behind him was nothing short of wrong, and he was fighting to keep from snapping at her, no matter how irritated he was he knew it wasn't her fault.  But he'd rather have his clever companion in the cell with him.

Because she was clever.  And his companion.  Yes.  Those were the only reasons.  Not because there was something else there, and he _knew_ she felt it, she had to.  Definitely not that.  That would be just too absurd, wouldn't it?

"What's happened, Doctor Smith?" Tiffany's voice purred from behind him.

He cringed, not even trying to hide it.  "Well, Tiffany, it would appear that we are imprisoned, and they've discovered who Rose is."

Her hand rested on his back, and a series of escape maneuvers tried to play their way through his head as she spoke.  "What do you mean, 'who Rose is'?"

He shrugged, knocking her hand from him.  "Rose committed almost a full genocide of the Daleks to save my life," he said evenly.  "We've got to get to her."  He pulled out the sonic screwdriver and started trying to release the lock.

"Leave it," Tiffany said smoothly.

The Doctor sent her a perturbed glance.  "Leave it?  Leave this locked, leave us trapped?  I don't think either of us want that," he turned back to his work, trying to ignore her, praying to every deity to keep her away from him.  He didn't think they were listening.

Tiffany leaned against the bars, diagonal from the Doctor.  He ignored her and kept going with his releasing.  Blimey, it was like resonating concrete all over again.  She stood there, watching him, for a few moments.

Rose would often watch the Doctor work when they were in prison, but she was helpful, and her gaze was warm, and dare he say it, he liked when she stared at him.  Now he just felt... Disgusting, like he was being propositioned, and now he knew how Rose felt whenever young men ogled her on every single planet they went on.

Oh, he came to a decision.  He was going to snog the stuffing out of Rose Tyler when they got out of there.  Time Lord rules be damned, he wanted the world to know she had claimed him, to show Tiffany and every other being out there that they belonged to each other.  They always had, in a way, but it needed a name.  It always had, and he had been too daft to see it.

"Do you know something, Doctor Smith?" Tiffany asked, feigning nonchalance. 

He offered her a quick glance before going back to his work, resonating what he now knew was a steel and metal mix.  "I know a lot of things, actually."

She giggled and shifted against the bars.  "No, there's something specific I think you should know."

"Okay, and what's that?" He asked, his voice portraying just how exasperated he was with the situation.

"I think you and I both know about the... Chemistry between us," Tiffany said slowly.  "There's something there.  Don't you feel it?"

"No," The Doctor said without hesitation.  "Because there's nothing there, it's all in your head."

"Doctor Smith, I think you're just so blinded by that... Schoolyard crush that Rose has on you that you can't see a real relationship in front of your eyes."

He ignored her as the lock popped and he made a sound of triumph.  But unfortunately, this woman was not to be deterred.  She pushed his shoulder, knocking him into the wall, and stalked up to him.  "I think it's time you stopped pretending," she said, her hands sliding up to his shoulders as he stood there in shock.  "It's okay, Rose isn't here to get jealous, you won't hurt her poor little feelings."

She started to lean in and the Doctor realized her intent, pushing her off of him.  "I think I said no.  I _know_ I said no."

Tiffany pulled the door shut again, effectively blocking the Doctor's means of escape.  She shoved him firmly, and he stumbled backwards and sat down hard on the small cot that had been given to them.  When he saw her advancing on him, he pushed off the bed and flung the door open.  "We are not having this conversation," he pointed at her.  "Now or ever, because anything you feel for me is completely one-sided, I can assure you."

She nodded slowly, then pushed him into the hallway and grabbed his face, kissing him harshly.  He let out a squeak of indignation and pushed Tiffany off of him.  "What's wrong with you?  Have you ever heard 'no'?"

"Sure I have," her hands wandered to his shoulders, and he pushed her away again.  "And I know that you don't want to say no... But your assistant is clouding your vision.  She doesn't deserve you, she can't give you what I can. "

"You don't know anything about Rose," he said, grabbing her wrists and removing them from him.  "Stop pretending you do."

"We spoke on the boat," she shrugged.  "She's smitten with you, but it's not the sort of love I can give you, I can promise you that."

"You don't love me," the Doctor said firmly.  He shifted away from her and began walking down the hallway, his coat billowing out behind him at his speed.  In his anger, he rounded the corner too fast and almost ran into a group of patrolling Daleks.

"The prisoners have escaped!" One screeched.  "The ones affiliated with Rose Tyler!  Bring them with us! Bring them with us!"

Both Tiffany and the Doctor were locked into a sort of magnetic field, and were forced to walk along with the Daleks.

"Wait, what are you doing, where are you taking us?" Tiffany screeched.

"There will be an audience with our leader.  We will reach an even score with one Rose Tyler!" The Dalek replied.

"Don't you hurt her!" The Doctor shouted. 

"Do not worry," the Dalek replied.  "When she is hurt, you will see it."

The Doctor felt his hearts turn cold and plummet into his stomach at the words.  They planned to hurt Rose.  They wanted to kill her.


	13. Chapter 13

The Doctor and Tiffany were tugged along towards an unknown destination, the Doctor shouting the whole time, demanding to see Rose and to know what was going on. 

In some respects, he probably should've been a little quieter, considering the Daleks wanted him dead as well, but they hadn't seen this form of him yet, so he was safe for now.  But he knew either Mr. Kelly or Rose would yell "Doctor!" the second they saw him, and it would all be done for.

But he continued to scream at the Daleks anyway, if only to let out some pent up frustration for the whole situation, including Tiffany's man-handling of him.  He was definitely going to snog the stuffing out of Rose Tyler now. 

They were finally pulled into a large meeting room.  It looked like a large courtroom, built in a circle to accommodate the shape of a Dalek, with a pedestal raised higher than the rest at the front of the room.  The Doctor was sure they would've been imprisoned for longer, but he wasn't about to complain in the face of the gift of getting out of the tight room that also held a woman that was possibly a bit randy for him.

The room had already been filled with Daleks who were jeering at them, and the Doctor and Tiffany were thrown in front of the ones who had been leading them.  The Daleks backed up in a guarding position, and the Doctor knew better than to move or try to escape.

"What are they going to do to us?" Tiffany cried out, her earlier seductive confidence replaced only by fear. 

"They're either going to interrogate us or execute us," the Doctor replied, looking around calmly for any sight of Rose or Mr. Kelly.  "Where are the people we came with?" He shouted over his shoulder at the Daleks who had brought them.

"They will be brought," one of the Daleks replied. 

The Doctor huffed out a frustrated sigh in response, trying to drown out the shouting of the other Daleks, which grated on his nerves.  The only good thing about this particular situation was that he'd not been pushed to his knees.  He was standing, and in some small way that offered him a bit of control, as false as it was. 

A door swung open behind him and the jeering of the audience of Daleks turned into frenzied screaming.  He turned to see Rose and Mr. Kelly entering the room, Rose looking much more confident than the cowering Mr. Kelly.  His hearts swelled with pride for her.

She met his gaze and threw him a smile and a wink, as if to tell him that she had all of this under control.  He moved to go to her, but the Dalek behind him moved forward menacingly, and so he kept himself in check.  He offered Rose a look of apology and she nodded in return.  It was almost a marvel to him, how she could understand what he was saying without words or a telepathic link.

Rose, however, didn't find that sort of thing odd at all.  The way she could read the Doctor like an open book was very simple to her, like having a best mate for a really long time.  The telepathy didn't figure into it for her like it did for the Doctor.  Of course she didn't know he wanted that link with her, for all she knew he was indifferent towards her. 

She watched as the Daleks moved to be behind them, ensuring they wouldn't try to run.   She faced the front platform, which was clearly where they'd all be addressing anyways.  She waited as all the Daleks suddenly quieted down, and a gold colored Dalek rolled its way onto the platform.

"Dalek Gek!" The Daleks all chanted in unison.

"Rose Tyler, destroyer of the Daleks," Gek began, "Who are your companions?  Step forward!  Step forward!"

The Doctor knew what they were looking for.  They knew that Rose was associated with him, and that he could regenerate.  What the Daleks couldn't decide was if Mr. Kelly was the Doctor or if it was him.  Well, might as well make it interesting for them.  He stepped forward.  "I am the Doctor," he said simply.

Shrill cries of "Exterminate!" filled the whole room, but the Doctor stood tall, now closer to Rose.  He held his hand out for her, and she took it, offering him a smile as their fingers interlocked. 

This was how they fought battles.  Not in opposite cells, but together.  The Doctor stood closer to Rose so that their arms were brushing together and he could feel the warmth coming from her skin.  They stood in the onslaught of cries, waiting to be killed then and there by an errant Dalek beam.

"Rose," he said quietly, "I've got this odd feeling they're going to kill us."

Somehow, she heard him, and turned to him.  "Funny how someone always wants to do that," she smiled softly, and he could tell she was afraid.

"Rose, I-"

"Silence!" Gek shrieked.  The Daleks quieted down.  "This puts our situation into perspective.  Our original plan will continue."

"What's your plan?" Rose asked boldly.  "What are you gonna do with us, hm?"

"The same thing they always do," the Doctor said quietly.

"The human race is to be exterminated!" Gek shouted, and the Daleks in the room cheered, and the Doctor felt Rose wince next to him.  "We are taking the Earth, and you are powerless to stop us!" 

"No, you can't kill all the humans," the Doctor replied firmly.  "You know as well as I that the human race, in any existence, is a fixed point and not to be changed!"

"Not anymore!" Gek shouted.  

The Daleks started cheering again, but stopped when Gek (who must be the leader, Rose mused) spoke again.

"But there is one thing that must be completed before we can move into bliss," he stated, his eyestalk rounding on the loyal subjects seated there.  "We must destroy the Doctor and Rose Tyler!"


	14. Chapter 14

Rose couldn't say that she was surprised by the words.  She'd had a feeling it was headed that way once the Doctor announced who he was.  No matter what timeline, what incarnation, the Daleks always wanted the Doctor dead.

But he clutched her hand a little tighter at the words, and she held onto him just as tightly when she heard Tiffany and Mr. Kelly gasp in shock behind them. 

The Daleks cheered, and one of the ones who had been thwarting their escape moved forwards to push them out of the room, with Mr. Kelly and Tiffany right on their heels.  This time, they were put in cells divided by an oddly civilized looking door.  Much to the Doctor's relief, this time he was put in the same cell as Rose.  Keep all the important ones together, he guessed.

"You can't destroy the humans!" The Doctor said, grabbing one of the bars that held them back with the hand that wasn't firmly in Rose's.  "You know almost as well as I do that the humans survive, they prosper.  They have to be kept alive!"

"They will not," the Dalek replied, locking their door.  "It is time that the humans finished, Doctor, and your Rose Tyler with them!"  The other Dalek shrieked in return.

"Well, if you plan on killing us, what are we still doing alive?" the Doctor bit out.  Rose ran her thumb over his in reassurance and he gave her a look of thanks. 

"You will die tomorrow," the Dalek replied, and Rose could swear she heard nonchalance in the back of its ugly voice. 

Without another word, the two Daleks rounded away from them and left them there, in the suddenly too quiet cells.  The Doctor leaned forward, tipping his forehead against the bars, and Rose felt her heart lurch out to him.  She moved her other hand to his so her palms were cupping his hand.  She leaned her shoulder on the bars, facing him.

"What are you thinking?" she asked quietly.

He shifted his eyes to look at her, then lifted his shoulders.  "We can escape, but if we're seen we'll be shot on sight, and we can't dodge Dalek lasers.  We can't warn the others, and even if we could, they'd have no where to go once we warned them.  We can become martyrs, but then the entire population of New Earth dies anyways, and then they'll take out the rest of the human race, bit by bit," he sighed heavily.  "They want this planet, and we're at a loss to stop it."

Rose didn't know quite what to say to that, but she could see him struggling.  "On the bright side, we've got adjoining cells with a real door!  How posh," she smiled him and she saw his mouth twitch in response.

Seeing him not responding, her smile fell.  "We'll think of something," she promised.  "We'll get out of here, get of this bloody island, and go home."

His head snapped up and he looked at her with alarm written all over his face.  "You want to go home?"

She misunderstood and furrowed his brows.  "Of course.  Don't you?"

He blew out a sigh. "Oh, yes, home."

"You didn't think I meant- no, Doctor, I meant the TARDIS," she squeezed his hand.  "I'm not going anywhere, even if we die tomorrow, we're going together.  M'not leaving."

He pulled his hand from hers and at first she thought she'd gone and said the wrong thing, but then he turned and pulled her into a hug, his face buried in the crook of her neck.  She wrapped her arms around his neck, closing her eyes. 

It was reassuring, to be held by him even in times like this, to hear the steady beats of his heart faintly, almost in the distance.  She couldn't protect him, she knew that, she was just one woman, but she could at least keep up that façade and make him feel safe.  That was what he deserved, regardless of what he believed. 

He pulled away from her slowly at the sound of footsteps and saw Tiffany standing in the doorway, a completely unnecessary smug look on her face.  "Doctor Smith, I think we should talk."

The Doctor straightened and Rose turned her own surprised look on Tiffany, wondering about the intrusion and already resenting the other woman for it.  She tried to tell herself that Tiffany might want the Doctor to take a look at Mr. Kelly, who seemed to be panicking in the corner of their cell, but she wouldn't have her hip out like that if it was the case.

If there was one thing Rose knew, it was flirting, and she could immediately tell that Tiffany was up to exactly that.  Her heart lurched in dismay.  What had happened in the cell they shared before they were brought to the audience with Gek and the other Daleks?  She couldn't be sure, and she didn't really think that she wanted to think about it at all.

But apparently Tiffany wanted to _talk_ about it, which was far, far worse.

"I think you've probably gathered by now that it's just the Doctor now," he said stiffly, and Rose wondered if anything he'd done he'd regretted, making him take on this tone with Tiffany. 

"So, Doctor, then," Tiffany shrugged, crossing her arms.  "I still think we should talk.  Do you want to tell Rose, or shall I?"

Rose's heart absolutely plummeted into her stomach.  She glanced between the anger written on the Doctor's face and the smugness on Tiffany's.  She felt like she was going to be sick, so she pushed past the Doctor and sat on the cot.  "I don't think I need you to tell me," she said harshly, hoping she didn't look as ill as the thought was making her.

"Rose, no," the Doctor shook his head vigorously.  "That's not-"

"Isn't it?" Tiffany cut in.  "You can't hide forever, Doctor, from this, from us."

"I lied about my name, I've told you 'no'," the Doctor gritted out, "And yet you still chase me?  Even when your friend is in the other room having a panic attack?"

Tiffany shrugged.  "He'll be okay.  Clinical anxiety, him.  Even if I were to get too close, he'd feel trapped.  You have to let him ride it out.  We don't have his medicine."  She took a step forwards and the Doctor took a step back.  "So yes."

Rose felt both utterly confused and utterly betrayed, which made no sense because she really didn't have the right to feel betrayed.  She ran a hand through her hair and tried to assess the pair before her, but she found that it hurt too much and just tried to focus on not throwing up right there.

"I've made it very clear that I-"

"You're afraid of your feelings," Tiffany said, a small smile crossing her face.  "And that's okay, that's why I want to be here."

"No, you see, I'm not afraid of how I feel at all," the Doctor reached for Rose's hand, and without thinking, she took it.  He pulled her to her feet and stared daggers at Tiffany.  "I'm not afraid of how I feel about someone, how someone _makes_ me feel.   Got it?"

And with that he turned fully to Rose, cupped her cheeks with his hands, and pressed his mouth to hers.


	15. Chapter 15

Rose didn't allow herself any time to feel surprised at the Doctor's kiss.  Instead, she returned it, her hands fisting in the material of his coat at his waist.  She felt him sigh in relief against her mouth and deepen the kiss, and somewhere outside her consciousness, she heard Tiffany's frustrated noise.  The door between the adjoining cells slammed shut and the Doctor pulled away from Rose.

Oh.  So it was all an act.  She let go of his coat and watched as he stepped away.  To her surprise, he moved to the door and locked it with the sonic screwdriver.  Based on the door she'd say that was a door that was never supposed to be locked at all. 

Basically, a door like that shouldn't have had the capability to lock.  She sat down heavily on the small bed in the cell, exhaling softly.  She was a fool to think that the Doctor would've wanted her.  He just wanted to get out of Tiffany's advances.  It made sense and she didn't blame him for it, but that didn't make it any less painful.

He finished up with the locking and turned back to her.  She offered him a smile she was knew was weak and pathetic.  "Well, I guess she'll stop assaulting you now."

The Doctor furrowed his brows, looking confused.  He glanced between the door and her twice before his eyes lit up with realization.  "Oh," he said softly.  "Rose, I didn't, that wasn't, I mean-"

"-It's okay," Rose offered politely, fiddling with the zipper on her hoodie.  "I guess we need to find a way out of here, don't we?  We've got to get rid of the Daleks.  Not like we haven't done it before."  She grinned up at him.  "Can you sonic us out, maybe-"

"-Rose."

"Maybe we can just wire a bomb up or something, light the whole ship.  Or do we have to find out it they're working alone or if there are other ships?  In that case we'd have to go get the TARDIS, but we can't get back without having the Daleks take us, and that's not going to happen-"

"-Rose."

"Stop me when you hear an idea you like," she continued, not wanting things to get awkward, "We could, A. Rescue everyone, go get the TARDIS, and blow the whole island.  B.  Find out what the Daleks are planning and how many there are involved, rescue everyone, go get the TARDIS, and blow the island, as well as whatever other ships or Daleks there are.  C-"

"-Rose!"

She snapped her eyes up in surprise and looked at him.  "B, then?" she said quietly.

He laughed for a moment, then moved to stand in front of her, his hands in his pockets.  His face sobered.  "Why are you doing that?  Nattering on like this?"

She shrugged.  "Look, I don't want you to have to explain any of what happened just now, that's all.  You know, the whole-" she gestured vaguely.

He sat next to her and turned on the bed, one leg bent and folded up on the bed, pressing it against her thigh.  "What?  This?"  He leaned in and kissed her again.  He pulled back to gauge her reaction and saw the shock written all over her face.

She moved to stand on her knees, over his thigh.  He watched her as she laid her hands on the sides of his neck.  Her thumbs stroked his jawbone for a moment, and he looked expectantly up at her, letting every bit of what he was feeling about her show through his emotions. 

She leaned forward and touched her lips tentatively to his.  His hands reached up to hold her waist, keeping her there.  At his response she pressed further, kissing him harder.  She gasped against his mouth as his tongue traced along her bottom lip. 

In one deft move he had her flipped over and pressed down against the small bed, nearly hurling them both off in the process.  His lips never left hers, and he pressed even more into her, as if he needed her as close as he could possibly get her. 

She seemed to have the same thought, and wrapped her arms around his neck, tugging him so that he fell completely on top of her.  She pulled away, having a question to ask, and also needing to breathe.

"Doctor," she gasped, as he moved to suck lightly on her pulse point.

"Yes, love?" he murmured against her neck, nuzzling her hair."

She shivered at the term of endearment and forgot the original question.  "Is that what I am?"

He pulled away to look straight down into her face.  "You're my Rose," he said simply.  "If you want to be."

"Only if you can be my Doctor," she said quietly, feeling shy all of a sudden, in spite of what they were doing. 

"I always have been."  He said it so simply.  Like there had never been a truer fact in all of creation.  She felt her eyes misting at the words.

"Oh, oh, don't cry," he lifted one of his hands to wipe the tears away and she giggled at his worried expression.

"M'just happy," she whispered. 

He leaned down to kiss her again, slowly, languidly, downright reverently.  "You're so beautiful," he whispered against her lips.  He pressed another kiss to her mouth and pulled away again.  "If it weren't for these Daleks, I could spend the rest of today and most of tomorrow kissing you."

She shifted under him and wrapped her leg around the back of his knee.  "We have time," she said slowly, nudging his nose with hers. 

He nodded vigorously at her words and flicked the sonic screwdriver at the cell doors, then set it gently on the floor.

"What did you just do?" Rose asked curiously. 

"I put up a filter, so that anyone looking in won't see what we're really up to," he said, tracing his nose along her jawbone.  "And I slowed down time for us.  We have as much time as you want."

"You did that for me?"

"I plan on doing it frequently, after all this is over.  If that's alright with you, that is."

In response, she pulled him down to kiss her again.  "Anytime, Doctor."


	16. Chapter 16

Had it happened in a less frantic circumstance, the Doctor and Rose probably would've stopped to talk, or at least said _something_.  But as it were, they both had their hands full... With each other, and had no reason or intent to stop. 

Every touch was a spark across the other person's skin, and though neither of them would say it, it was a feeling that they could both easily grow addicted to, and they knew the touching wouldn't be stopping after this afternoon.

Neither of them brought up the fact that they were in a Dalek ship, and it was horribly inappropriate to be doing this right now, and they should really be formulating a plan.  But at the same time, both of them knew that they never had plans anyways, so what did it really matter in the end?  They were here and together and _together_ and that was all that mattered. 

At that point both of them should've cared that New Earth might be about to be destroyed, but with the time slowed, neither of them could be bothered to care.  The Doctor's hands crept under Rose's shirt and curled his fingers into the skin of her back, as if trying to hold onto her as hard as possible. 

Rose pushed his jacket off his shoulders, forcing his arms out from under her, and he growled against her mouth in response.

"No," She giggled, "It's gotta come off," she tugged on it again, and the Doctor latched his mouth onto her neck in response. 

He kissed a line up to her ear, his breath hot against her skin.  "No, I don't want to stop touching you," he whispered, and she reached up to clutch at his back, hugging him tightly at the words, which held more meaning to her then they probably were supposed to.  He accepted the embrace enthusiastically, burying his face in the side of her neck and holding onto her.

That could only last for a few moments though, because both of them were addicted to the feel of the other's touch, craving it.  And the Doctor, with his heightened and superior senses, became obsessed with the feel of _her_ excitement and love pouring off of her.

He could feel that she loved him.  He was afraid to tell her how much that feeling was reciprocated, but feeling it on her made his heart soar like nothing else.  He needed this girl, more than he was caring to admit, and without her he felt like nothing, because of the War, because of everything he'd done.  But he knew she didn't blame him for anything he done.  Somehow she treated him like he was something worth anything, or something, at least. 

And to her, there was no other way to treat him.  Because he had shown her everything, literally given her the universe, and she just wanted to give him a fraction of what she felt for him.  She had a suspicion he'd never be able to give her the words that she craved to give to him, but right now was so delicate.  She couldn't bear to scare him off.  No, she was lucky she had him in this way, right now, and that would be enough.  With the Doctor, anything would be enough.  She'd known that for a very long time.

Finally he pulled off of her to whip his jacket and tie off, so quickly that he was back on top of her within a couple of seconds. 

She started working at the buttons on his oxford, kissing each new piece of skin she uncovered.  He pushed his hands up her shirt, up to her chest, urging her to get it off. 

"In a minute," she whispered, pressing another kiss to his chest.  "Patience."

"Rose," he groaned, "I've been patient for two years, and I've slowed time for us, okay?  We can explore each other's wondrous bodies after."

"I think I wanna do it now," Rose said teasingly. 

He pressed down against her, making her gasp at the sudden warmth that covered her whole body.  He tilted her chin up and pressed his lips down, hard, against hers.  "I think we'll be okay if we just do it after, don't you?" He said quietly after he pulled away.

She released the last button on his shirt and allowed him to pull her own shirt over her head.  "Right," she rasped, "After is good."

***

She fell asleep shortly afterwards, the weight of the last couple of days weighing on her, as well as the change that had just occurred in their relationship.  She held onto him in sleep, her arms wrapped securely around him, face pressed against his chest. 

The Doctor traced patterns along her shoulder with one hand, pulling her close and nuzzling her hair.  He closed his eyes, reveling in the warmth of her.  He pressed a kiss into her hair and tugged her closer, letting his eyes drift closed and falling asleep next to her.

When they woke up, she stared down into his face, something soft lighting her features.  "Hello," she whispered. 

"Hello," he smiled back at her.

She shifted up on his chest and leaned down to kiss him.  He encouraged her, tangling his hand in the hair at the nape of her neck, tilting her head to give himself better access.

"What a way to wake up," she laughed softly as she pulled away.

"You're so beautiful," he said quietly, pushing her hair back from her face.

She blushed and looked away, but quickly turned back to him.  "So are you."

He rolled them over so that she was underneath him again.  "Cheeky," he said, smiling.   "You know, I slow time until I'm done slowing it.  Any time we spend here will only be twenty minutes to anybody else.  Just long enough for them to know we got up to something." 

"Long enough for Tiffany to know we got up to something," Rose corrected.

The Doctor grimaced in reply.  "I really don't want to hear that name until we're done here, understand?  And then after we're done on this bloody island, I never want to hear that name again."

Rose slid her hand up into his hair.  "Deal."

And they sealed the deal for another hour and a half of their precious time. 


	17. Chapter 17

The Doctor heaved a heavy sigh and tilted his head to look down at Rose.  She was sprawled across his chest, her arm around his waist.  She cuddled into him when she felt him shift, and he stopped his movements.  "Rose?" He whispered. 

She blinked sleepily up at him, waking up from the dozing state she'd been in.  "Hm?" she murmured.  She didn't even give him time to talk to her, though, just leaned over top of him to kiss him.  He snaked a hand up her back, stroking a pattern only he could read over her skin as she dipped her tongue into his mouth. 

He'd quite forgotten what he wanted to speak to her about by then, and the intent became just to snog Rose Tyler until they were both done.  Eventually she pulled away, pressing a quick succession of kisses to his lips before finally leaning her chin onto his chest.  "What did you want to say?" She asked quietly. 

He stroked her hair for a moment and chased her lips again.  "You know, I can't seem to remember why we need to let time go back."

"So we can save the world.  So we can wipe out the nasty Daleks.  So we can do this," she raked her nails down his chest and he shivered, "In _our own bed,_ on the TARDIS."

"Well, that's sold me!" The Doctor said quickly, crawling out of the bed and beginning to reassemble his layers as Rose giggled. 

She put her clothes on as well, the both of them getting distracted to kiss each other or to let a hand wander, but eventually they were both dressed and remotely presentable again. 

"Are you ready to put time back?"  He asked, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and raising an eyebrow at her.

"No, but we've got to," she replied reluctantly. "What's it gonna be? 20 minutes?"

"Yep.  Like I said," he nudged her nose with his, "Just enough time for them to know we've been up to something."

She giggled and kissed him quickly.  "Wait, shouldn't we plan first, before setting it back?  You know, we don't have much real time, and... I think we might actually need a plan for this."

He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment and nodded.  "You're right.  What do you think we should do?"

Rose sat down on the edge of the bed, folding her hands in her lap.  "We don't have the TARDIS, which severely limits us.  We don't have Jack, like we did last time... What do we have?"  She asked, tilting her head up to look at him.

"We have the sonic," he said, rocking back on his heels.  "We have a couple useless friends.  A loose term, mind you.  Also, I know how to fly a Dalek ship."

Rose cocked an eyebrow.  "Do you?  I didn't know that."

The Doctor nodded.  "I'd just have to get up to the cockpit of the ship.  I just don't know how to get there without, you know, alerting the Daleks."

"We could send one of our friends after them," Rose suggested, kicking her feet and not exactly making eye contact with him.

He chuckled in response.  "I think I know which friend you're thinking and that's okay, I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't thinking the same thing.  It might not be a bad idea, if we send them both all the way out.  The Daleks obviously don't want the people on the beach to know they exist yet.  The only problem would be the lasers they shoot."

Rose pursed her lips, considering.  "We could just leave them here, you know, so that the Daleks focus on them."

"Rose, we're the ones they're going to kill."

"Well, maybe our execution would be the time to run," Rose suggested. "All the attention is on us and Mr. Kelly and Tiffany get back to the beach.  We run to the cockpit and sonic-lock them out."

The Doctor paused for a moment, clearly thinking about this as a legitimate option.  "That's... Insane, to say the least.  And it might just work."

Rose blinked.  "Really?"

The Doctor nodded earnestly.  "Yeah, really.  Might as well try it, hm?"  He sonicked the door again, and Rose felt a shift in her chest as time returned to normal. 

"But they're not executing us until tomorrow," Rose replied, "What'll we do till then?"

"I could think of a few things..." The Doctor nearly purred, kneeling in front of her. 

Rose clamped her knees on his waist, holding him in place.  "Be serious," she said, but she was giggling.  "No escaping till when?"

"Even Daleks sleep," the Doctor said, "So maybe we don't have to wait until tomorrow, just until nightfall.   Then we can fly the whole ship of them into the ocean.  If there's more, they'll come after us and we can deal with them then."

"And how will we deal with the backup?" Rose asked.

The Doctor opened his mouth and then closed it.  He shrugged and slid his hands up her thighs to her waist.  "We'll figure that out how we usually do."

"As we go along?" Rose cocked her head and looked at him curiously.

The Doctor nodded and smiled.  "Exactly, as we go along." 

A knock sounded at the door and the Doctor cursed under his breath.  He stood up from Rose, but not before giving her an extremely passionate kiss.  He unlocked the door and flung it open to see Mr. Kelly standing there, looking shocked.

"Yes, hello, how's your panic attack?" The Doctor asked.

"Fine, I've calmed down," Mr. Kelly replied.  "Listen, you two've been locked in here for nearly twenty minutes.  Have you figured anything out?  A plan?"

"We're breaking out after nightfall," the Doctor replied.  "Rose and I will come to you when the time comes."

He proceeded to calmly explain the rest of the plan to Mr. Kelly, who nodded and steeled himself and made Rose feel as though he was very panicky and trying not to show it, which she admired him for. 

"Shall we all stay in the same room?" He asked.

It wasn't really a logical suggested, but Rose had a suspicion that Mr. Kelly just really didn't want to be alone with Tiffany at that moment, and she couldn't say she blamed him.

"If you'd like," the Doctor replied, obviously picking up on the same thing Rose had.  "Drag the bed and Tiffany in.  You'll want to get some rest before nightfall.  We could be up all night."

Mr. Kelly nodded and disappeared back into the room.

The Doctor shook his head and turned back to Rose.  He sighed heavily.  "I really don't want to," he whispered. 

"Me either," she replied, "But we can't leave poor Mr. Kelly alone with her, you know that."

He stepped forward and cupped her cheek briefly.  "We share the bed tonight," he said lowly, causing her to shiver. 

Tiffany stepped into the room with Mr. Kelly and the Doctor slowly pulled back his hand, tracing his fingers along Rose's neck.  Tiffany looked as though she had been crying, and while Rose felt a bit guilty about it, there was also a sense of pride that was behind the fact that the Doctor wanted her and not Tiffany.

She didn't make eye contact with either Rose or the Doctor, crawling into the bed immediately.  She was facing them, but her eyes were firmly screwed back  Mr. Kelly sighed in exasperation.  Tiffany had left him room on the other side of the bed, which he took, facing away from her.

Rose and the Doctor, however, were eager to express newfound intimacy in a more innocent way.  The Doctor shucked his coats, tie, and shoes, and crawled into the bed.  After toeing off her shoes, Rose followed him, pulling the cover over them and cuddling up next to him.  He kissed her forehead and laid back, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.  She rested her head on his chest and soon fell asleep. 

The Doctor planned on sleeping, for sure, he would need it tonight.  But at that moment he just wanted to watch over Rose Tyler and wait for nightfall.


	18. Chapter 18

Rose awoke before nightfall to the unnerving feeling of being stared at.  She blinked her eyes open slowly, aware of an arm thrown around her waist and someone spooned up behind her.  Realizing it was the Doctor, she cuddled farther back into him and felt his breath against her neck. 

She blinked again, her eyes fully open, and saw Tiffany staring at her, which was probably where the feeling had come from.  She raised an eyebrow in query and saw Tiffany furrow her own brows. 

"He would've come to me," she said, her voice barely filtering over to Rose with how quiet her tone was. 

Rose blinked in surprise and turned her head to see the Doctor nuzzling at her neck.  "I don't think so, actually," she whispered as he cuddled farther up against her back. 

"I think we can both agree that I'm the more...  Suitable of the two of us for him," Tiffany responded, a smug edge in her voice. 

"You don't know him," Rose protested.

"And you do?"

Rose nodded once, careful not to dislodge the Doctor from her.  "I've known him for two years.  I don't think you'd be able to carry what he does, Tiffany.  He's not just a gorgeous face, alright?"

The Doctor shifted behind her then, grunting softly in his half-asleep state.  He nosed her hair away from her neck and kissed her there slowly, reverently.  Rose diverted her gaze from Tiffany, not wanting that moment to involve her at all. 

He pressed a final kiss under her jawbone.  "I heard your voice," he whispered, his voice gravelly.  "Go back to sleep, we've got two hours till nightfall."

She turned her head up to him.  "Okay.  Sorry I woke you."

He smiled sleepily down at her.  "It's alright."  he kissed her on the lips and then cuddled back behind her, in his proper spot, Rose thought. 

"You drove us together, in a way," Rose said, barely above a whisper.  "So don't blame me for anything that's happened."

Tiffany's eyes snapped with anger, but she didn't reply to Rose.  Instead, she screwed her eyes shut and burrowed deeper under the covers. 

Rose pulled the Doctor's arm more securely around her, and he responded by humming in the back of his throat.  He moved up to press silent kisses on her face.  She squirmed and shushed him.  "Two hours till nightfall, remember?"

He nuzzled her neck and settled in, and she fell asleep comfortably in his arms. 

If there was one thing they were lucky for, it was that the Doctor had an internal time clock.  He woke up a few moments before sundown.  He shook Rose's shoulder gently until she awoke, blinking slowly up at him.

"Morning," She grinned at him.

"Evening, actually," he returned her smile and the both of them got out of the bed, both silently hoping that the rustling noises they were making would be enough to wake their travelling companions up.  Mr. Kelly neither of them minded, of course, he was just along for the ride.  It was Tiffany nobody wanted to go within ten feet of.

Rose pulled on her shoes and then watched the Doctor put on the rest of his clothes.  He watched her staring and arched an eyebrow.  "Enjoying the show?" He asked quietly as she shamelessly eyed him over.

She flashed him a dazzling grin.  "Absolutely."

He tightened his tie and winked at her.  "Shall we recap our plan?" He asked, sitting down next to her where she was perched on the bed.

"We sneak up to the cockpit, find a window, plunge the ship into the ocean and swim to safety," Rose recited smoothly.

The Doctor nodded.  "Basically, yes."

"Well, you ramble," Rose lifted a shoulder, "I give the abridged version of whatever you're trying to say."

The Doctor opened his mouth as if to protest, but then shut it and stood, looking on thoughtfully.  "Alright, I suppose you're right."

Mr. Kelly sat up then, looking at them groggily.  "Time to go?" he asked quietly.

Rose and the Doctor both nodded vigorously, neither of them wanting to be the one that had to wake Tiffany.  It didn't look like Mr. Kelly wanted to either, though, as his face fell reluctantly and he shook Tiffany's shoulder.  She started awake and sat up, still looking angry from the night before.  Rose wondered if she'd ever let it go. 

They rustled themselves together and pushed one of the beds back into the other cell before the Doctor started working on sonicing the door to their cell open.  Rose kept an eye out for Daleks, but there didn't seem to be any patrolling the area, and she supposed that maybe the Doctor was telling the truth, that the Daleks did sleep.  Or at least recharge over the night.  It was certainly something. 

The Doctor busted the lock open, making a hushed cry of excitement and grabbing Rose by the hand, pulling her out after him.  They rushed along the hallways, but after a while they all looked the same to Rose and she was starting to wonder if even the Doctor knew where he was going.

He had pretty good time sense, but she knew from experience that the man did not have a very good sense of direction, in time or space.  She tried to remain optimistic though, because she really did believe in him, and she always had.

After about seven hallways that were nearly identical, she started to grow worried.  She didn't know if they'd ever find the cockpit, or even anywhere on the way _to_ the cockpit.

The Doctor turned a corner so harshly that Rose, Mr. Kelly, and Tiffany all smacked into a wall.  He'd rounded them to a stairwell, and immediately started pulling Rose up said stairs.  She nearly tripped on her trainers on the way up, and was glad that the Doctor at least had a grip on her hand. 

Tiffany and Mr. Kelly were struggling to keep up, she could tell, but they really were doing their best.  It was close enough, after all.

The Doctor brought them all to a halt in front of a big metal door that the TARDIS translated for the Doctor and Rose, even from back on the shore of New New York.

"Ah," The Doctor smiled, looking satisfied.  He looked at Rose and waggled his eyebrows.  "The cockpit!"


	19. Chapter 19

It seemed as though no one knew what to do, now standing outside the cockpit.  If there was a Dalek in there, everyone knew the plan was fried.  But, the Doctor, being the Doctor, for once, had a plan.  He beckoned them to stand next to the door, where they would definitely be hit with it upon its opening.

He held the sonic screwdriver away from himself and it let out a shrill sound that made the rest of them cover their ears.  Rose had heard this sound before, and the Doctor described it as 'a dog whistle that makes every species react differently'.  Conveniently, it didn't seem to affect Time Lords very much.

There was a loud screech of a Dalek heard from within, and the door was thrown open, the knob hitting Rose squarely in the stomach.  The Doctor pulled her back towards him and gave her a sheepish and apologetic look for miscalculating where she should stand.  She put a hand on her stomach and shrugged in return.  She'd been through worse.

The Dalek stormed out of the room-as much as a Dalek _can_ storm- and the four behind the door shrank back as it looked around.

"Who dares to make such a horrible sound??" It shrieked, obviously looking for a fellow comrade.  It moved down the hallway, leaving those who were hiding alone in the hallway.

The Doctor brushed past Rose and slipped around the door first, peering into the cockpit.  On some level, he felt a lot of confusion for there not being more than one Dalek in there, but this was for sure not the time to be looking a gift horse in the mouth.  He beckoned behind him and couldn't help but smile when he felt her hand slip into his. 

She stood next to him and they shared a look before they went further into the cockpit.  The Doctor had seen one before, it was very standard: cupboards on the sides to store God-knew-what, a control panel in the center and windows showing their current location.  Even though they'd not taken off, the Doctor had had a feeling that there would be more than one Dalek in the room, but he shrugged that thought off easily.

Mr. Kelly silently shut the door behind him and the Doctor locked it with the sonic.  There would be no getting back in for the Dalek who had left.  The Doctor began puttering at the controls as Rose, Tiffany, and Mr. Kelly looked around the rest of the cockpit.

"It's odd, innit?" Rose asked, "To have somebody in the cockpit when you're not flying anywhere?"

"It's been common for Daleks since the Time War started," the Doctor replied, "In case they needed to take off at a moment's notice, if someone else was right behind them.  Always ready to strike, that's the Daleks."

Rose nodded.  It made sense, on the whole, but she wished the Doctor would hurry up and start the plan.  "So, what, we're gonna knock out these windows and jump into the ocean?"

"And swim back to shore," the Doctor finished.

"What if one of us drowns?"  Tiffany whined.

The Doctor only lifted his eyes from the panel.  "Then one of us drowns knowing it's very likely we've saved this world and worlds around it.  Got it?"

Surprisingly, Tiffany had nothing to say to that.

Mr. Kelly had been quiet, and so Rose approached him where he was standing, inspecting some gadgets on the wall.

"Are you alright?" Rose asked quietly.

Mr. Kelly turned  his head, his eyes betraying the fear that he felt.  "Miss Tyler, I'm afraid that I'm terrified out of my wits." 

Rose turned to watch the Doctor work and Tiffany sulk for a moment, than back to Mr. Kelly.  "You know what?  Me too."

"But you've done all this before," Mr. Kelly protested, "You've performed genocide on the Daleks, they hate you, and the Doctor.  What's all that about?  How can you be afraid?"

"I've seen a lot of things," Rose admitted.  "Been possessed, all that nonsense.  But I'm scared to die.  I'm scared that one day I won't be fast enough to get away from the monsters.  And that's okay, because it's fear that keeps you alive.  If you're not afraid, you're ready to die.  And I don't think I'm ready just yet."

Mr. Kelly considered this, and then a smile crept across his face.  "You know, Miss Tyler, I do believe that you're right.  I'm not ready to die either."

"Good," Rose returned his grin, "Then we'll all not-die together."

"Ah!" The Doctor shouted, "We're ready for lift off.  Rose, grab that Fans Tribulator."

"The what?"

"That thing that looks like an axe, I'll need you to bust the windows with it once we get over the ocean."

Rose grabbed what she was told to and stood by the window, waiting. 

The Doctor piloted the Dalek ship as he did the TARDIS, flipping levers wildly, slamming buttons, and dancing around the side to press a button he couldn't reach.  Within a matter of seconds they were up in the air. 

Rose steeled herself for the jarring around that was certain to come, and come it did.  She was thrown into the window and she heard the Doctor shout out a 'sorry!' while he was stabilizing the ship. 

Tiffany grabbed hold of something to the side fot he window, effectively keeping herself from crashing into several glass objects, and Mr. Kelly simply fell to the side. 

The Doctor somehow managed to stay planted where he was supposed to, steering smoothly and getting them up over the treeline.  That was when the banging on the door started. 

Rose looked up.  "Now!?" She shouted urgently.

"No, not yet, we're not over the ocean!" The Doctor yelled back.

"Let us in!  Let us in!" A Dalek screamed outside the door.

"They're gonna get in!" Tiffany wailed. 

The Doctor slammed his foot on a third button, with hands occupying two others.  They sped up and Rose struggled to maintain her position.

"Now?" She asked frantically.

The Doctor waited one, two, three seconds and then nodded violently.  "Now!" He shouted to her.

Rose swung the axe and cracked the window.  A second swing along with the speed of the ship caused the whole thing to shatter, the glass showering on her.  She cried out as a piece cut her arm, and the Doctor's gaze shot up to her.  A worried look passed over his face but there really wasn't time for him to check on her.

The Daleks had busted down the door.


	20. Chapter 20

The Doctor cursed helplessly under his breath as he heard the Daleks break down the door and enter the cockpit.  He swung a final lever and rushed over to where the others were by the window.  He laid a hand gently on Rose's injured arm and glanced out the window briefly to check on their progress over the island.  No signs of being over the water yet.

"Stop," the Doctor said firmly, and the Daleks, shockingly, stopped advancing.  He pulled the sonic screwdriver from his pocket.  "One switch on this and we all go down."  He pointed the sonic at the main console in the center of the console.  He hauled Rose closer with his free arm, her standing far too close to the broken window for his liking.  "Do you really want to risk it?"

Rose focused in on the Daleks, refusing to show weakness, letting herself and the Doctor be seen as a fortress.  Obviously stronger than Tiffany and Mr. Kelly who were borderline cowering, but then again, they were scientists.  They observed from afar, never saw things like this first hand. 

The Daleks stopped, obviously knowing that the Doctor really wasn't bluffing.  Even though there were only two of them, it was still very easy to feel threatened.  They seemed to look at each other for a moment, considering all of this. 

"You will not commit suicide, Doctor," one of the Daleks said bluntly.

"I should've died in the Time War," the Doctor replied, "Maybe this is the end of the War for me.  But, if you tell me one thing, I won't let you crash.  And I'll come quietly back to the jail cell and Rose and I will be executed in the morning."

He stroked a hand up her back, letting her know that this wasn't really his plan, though she hadn't thought it was to begin with.  Her hand gripped his jacket in response, never taking her eyes from the Daleks. 

"What do you want to know?" One of the Daleks asked, not noticing Mr. Kelly and Tiffany creeping quietly across the floor to be closer to the Doctor and Rose, to go alone with whatever it was that they were about to do.

"Are you the only ship?"

The Doctor's blunt question seemed to startle the Daleks into silence.  They didn't know what the Doctor was about to do, and at the moment, they were at his mercy.  This infuriated them, but they'd never have to time to shoot him before he pressed the button on his sonic.  They were doomed in all ways but one.

They would have to tell the Doctor and Rose Tyler what they wanted to know.  And the Doctor could sense lies.  They would have to tell _the truth_.

"We were the ship sent to scope out the island, and in turn, the entire Earth.  The others will come when they hear from us.  Which will be tomorrow, we will alert them from your execution site!"

The Doctor nodded slowly.  "Good to know," he said simply, and pressed the button on the sonic.  He glanced out of the window and breathed a sigh as he saw that they were, in fact, over the ocean.  The Daleks screeched in indignation behind him as their ship started its slow, uncontrollable descent towards the water.

The Daleks, of course, frantically moved about the panel, trying to stop what the Doctor had done and finding no way to do so.  Whatever the sonic had done was irreversible and the Doctor knew he had to get everyone out of the ship before they realized that and started shooting.

"Jump," he hissed, and though it was quiet, every human in the room was tuned to him, and they all launched out the window Rose had broken at once. 

The Doctor and Rose held on to each other as they fell.  She closed her eyes and pressed her face into his chest, her heart pounding wildly in her chest as they went through a freefall.

She'd been more scared before, yes, but it had been a long time since she'd fallen into water, and she didn't know where was safe, and there was a Dalek ship right behind them, and so they'd have to go deep into the water to save their own lives.

She had to admit that she was shocked that Tiffany wasn't screaming next to her, instead, she had a terrified look plastered on her face and looked very much as though she'd retch once they hit the water. 

Instead of panicking, she simply listened to the Doctor's steady heartsbeat under her cheek, needing it, craving it.  One stable thing, that was all she needed as she fell through the thin air.

She felt as though they'd never hit the water, that they'd fall forever and die in the sky, falling asleep amidst the clouds.  As romantic as that sounded, that was really not how Rose wanted to go at all.  She wanted to be so old she welcomed death as an old friend, not as young woman dying in her lover's arms.

Though dying in her lover's arms wouldn't be so bad, she figured.

Then there was the feeling of smacking concrete that comes when you fall too far into the water, and Rose completely lost her breath as they went under.  It was the Doctor who pulled her up to make sure she got air.  "Are you alright?" He asked breathlessly.

Rose nodded, gasping, not being able to actually say anything.  He stroked her hair back from her face with one hand, his other arm still wrapped around her waist.  It was only his treading water that kept them both afloat until Rose remembered that she did, in fact, have working legs.

She started pushing with her legs, aiding in the Doctor's efforts to keep them above water, and he smiled at her in encouragement.  "Good, okay, we're okay."  He pressed a kiss to her lips that she was only able to reciprocate for a moment before he pulled away.

"Mr. Kelly?" The Doctor shouted, turning his head around, looking for the other man. 

"Here!" Mr. Kelly shouted from behind the Doctor.  "I'm here!"

"Tiffany?"

"I'm here," she gasped, swimming over to them. 

Suddenly, the creaking of metal from above them made them realize they weren't safe yet.  They all tipped their heads up and saw the Dalek ship bearing down on them.

"Move!" The Doctor shouted frantically.

And they all went under.


	21. Chapter 21

Rose had time to get one good breath in before the Doctor pulled her under the water with him.  She immediately berated herself for not getting her wits about her sooner.  If she had they could've swam out of the way instead of having to go straight down. 

The Doctor was motioning for her to swim to the side anyway, and without a second glance at the others, Rose followed him.  She wondered if his coat was pulling him down at all.  Although, with his respiratory bypass, that might not be a problem.  He could probably stay underwater for days, if he so desired.

He turned over his shoulder every so often to make sure she was following, then looked up to see the ship almost bearing down on them.  He turned swiftly and grabbed Rose by her shoulders and shot down in the water, pulling her with him.

She really didn't have time to wonder how he'd gotten them so far down so fast because she was starting to run out of air.  She touched the Doctor's cheek to get his attention and laid a hand over her chest. 

He raised his eyebrows and nodded.  Then he sealed his mouth over hers. 

At first she had no idea how kissing was going to help in this situation until she realized he was using his big Time Lord lungs to breathe air into hers.  He apparently could process carbon dioxide, if this was any indication of it. 

The ship fell fully into the water, and bubbles surrounded them as it plunged deeper, pushing the Doctor and Rose down along with it.  Rose felt fear start to seep into her veins and fisted her hand in the Doctor's coat.  He stroked her cheek reassuringly with his thumb and gave her more breath.

The chaos surrounding them was almost lost on them as they held onto each other under the ocean.  Luckily, they'd gotten out of the way, the ship just grazed Rose's back as it continued its descent, and the Doctor tapped her cheek, letting her know he was going to pull away.

They backed off from each other and stared down into the abyss, where the ship and the Daleks who had been occupying it were floating downwards in the water, deactivated or dead, she wasn't sure.  She shivered, and at that, the Doctor started to help her pull up to the surface.

With both of them holding onto each other and kicking, they made it to the surface easily, and Rose gasped for breath as she clutched at the Doctor's shoulders and started to tread water.

The Doctor looked around them and nodded his chin towards the shore.  It was about forty meters away.  "Can you make it?" He asked.

Rose nodded, though she felt less than sure.  "I'm gonna have to."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead and together they started swimming towards the shore.  The survivors of the shipwreck stood on the beach, shock etched in all their faces.  Then they saw the Doctor and Rose and started cheering, knowing that it had to be that _completely mental_ couple that destroyed the ship and obviously saved them all.

Two men dove headfirst into the sea and paddled out to meet them, helping them to the shore.  Rose kept an eye on the Doctor, wanting to make sure he was okay.  His head lolled forward and it was obvious he was more tired than he had been letting on. 

Rose focused on kicking her feet and the arm around her waist as they were both pulled to shore.  When they got to the beach the only thing Rose could do was lay in the damp sand and catch her breath, with the Doctor right next to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked breathlessly, turning his head to look at her.  She knew if he had his way he'd already be examining her with the sonic, but then were both too exhausted to do anything of the sort. 

She nodded, unable to form words, and she watched as the two men who had pulled them from the water had spotted Mr. Kelly and Tiffany and swam out after them.

"I'm going to send out a sound flare from the sonic," the Doctor panted, sitting up slowly.  "We've got to get out of here."

He pulled the sonic out of his coat and adjusted the settings on it.  He explained in a loud, tired voice what he was about to do to the rest of the survivors, which they cheered him on for.  He held the tool up in the air and pressed the button, the buzz filling the air. 

"That will alert everyone with in a fifty mile radius," he said, and collapsed back down next to Rose on the sand.

They both would've been very content to sleep for days there, having the adrenaline washed out of them and being chilled to the bone, but a couple people insisted they at least take some of their clothes off and get near a fire.

As it turned out, big, burly man had built a shelter that was circular with a fire pit built in the middle.  The Doctor and Rose were helped out of their over layers, and Rose shimmied out of her jeans since she still had her sleep shorts on from the boat.  The Doctor was left in just his trousers and undershirt, and they could barely stand two seconds without curling up together.  The water was really just too cold.

An older, attentive woman started up the fire, felt Rose's forehead, told them to lie down, felt Rose's forehead, thanked them for everything they had obviously done, felt the Doctor's forehead, and then Rose's once more for good measure before giving them some of the fruit they had found and leaving them alone.

Rose looked suspiciously at the fruit.  "Is this safe for me to eat?"  She asked.

"Yes, completely, one hundred percent safe," he assured her, "Come on, you must be starving, and I'd like to get some sleep before we're rescued."

Mr. Kelly and Tiffany's shivering selves were brought up next, with the same attentive woman fawning over them and helping them.  Tiffany only managed a few bites of the fruit before falling asleep, but Mr. Kelly seemed a tad more coherent.  That was probably the shock.

"You were right, Doctor Smith," he said quietly, "We should've stayed behind."

"It's alright," The Doctor assured him.  And nothing more was said.

After they'd finished eating, the Doctor and Rose fell asleep curled around each other and waiting for help to arrive.


	22. Chapter 22

Rose woke up warm, and at first that was all she could remember.  But as more of what had happened that day set in, she relaxed, keeping herself calm.  Night was still upon them, and if the Doctor's flare had attracted anyone, they weren't here yet.

She blinked a few times, adjusting to the darkness, and saw Tiffany sitting on the edge of the shelter, hunched over and looking nothing short of defeated.  If Rose was honest, she knew she'd been sort of cruel to Tiffany, even if she deserved it.  She knew her mother wouldn't be very pleased if she knew what she'd done. 

No matter how she tried to justify the words she'd said to Tiffany about the Doctor's choice and whatnot, Rose had to admit that she felt she'd been a little harsh on the girl.  Was there a sort of feminine pride that crept up when it came to the fact that the Doctor _had_ chosen her?  Of course, but that didn't mean she needed to gloat.

She could practically feel Jackie Tyler's glare from an Earth that wasn't quite so new.

Sighing, and feeling the weight of a guilty conscious, she started trying to pull out of the Doctor's embrace to talk to Tiffany, but felt his whine of disapproval rumble through her as he pulled her back, burying his face in the crook of her neck.  "Stay," he whispered, clutching her tighter. 

For some reason, he needed her here, and Rose was loath to refuse the Doctor anything, so she nodded and pushed back into him.  He nuzzled her neck in some sort of thanks and curled closer to her.  Forgetting that she wanted to speak with Tiffany, Rose fell easily back into a deep sleep.

The next time she woke up, it was still dark, but it was about in the moment before the dawn when it's rather dark and you can't tell if it's the middle of the night or not.  Tiffany was still in the position she'd been in a few hours previous, and the urge to say something to her returned, and she started slowly pulling out of the Doctor's arms.  He grunted in disagreement, but she shushed him quietly and turned to face him.

"Just a minute, yeah?" She whispered.

He reached out a hand and cupped her face gently. "Don't wander off," he said quietly, his voice gruff with sleep.  Her lip twitched and she nodded.  He returned her smile and his eyes drifted shut again.

She moved slowly around the shelter to where Tiffany was sitting and sat next to her, saying nothing for a few moments.  Then she heaved a heavy sigh and blurted it out.  "I'm sorry."

Tiffany turned to Rose, confusion written on her face.  "What?"

"I'm sorry," Rose repeated, and waved her hand vaguely.  "For what happened, you know?"

Tiffany raised her eyebrows.  "You've got to be kidding.  _You're_ sorry?"

Rose fidgeted a bit, feeling a little uncomfortable.  Couldn't she just accept the apology and move on?  She could be sleeping right now if she wasn't feeling guilty.  "Yeah," she nodded.  "I'm apologizing to you, I know I wasn't exactly... Kind."

She heard Tiffany inhale rather violently through her nose and shift around where she was sitting.  "If either of us should be apologizing, Rose, I'm afraid it's me.  I've been thinking a lot about what happened, back on that ship with the Daleks."

Rose leaned her elbow on her knee and her cheek in her hand, her face turned toward Tiffany in a listening gesture.  "I think we all have."

Tiffany shook her head.  "No, I... I threw myself at Doctor Smith, I thought he was just, you know, repressed, and he needed somebody like me.  I knew he loved you, anybody could see it, but I just wanted him for myself, regardless of his own feelings.  Figured I could tempt him.  But then he just... He kissed you, right in front of me, and it hit me, what I was doing."

"You..."

"I kissed him," Tiffany finished bitterly.  "I knew I wasn't what he wanted, and I did it anyway."  She leaned her head in her hands and Rose lifted her hand to rub her back.  Tiffany sighed heavily and lifted her head again.  "Since I've been Mr. Kelly's assistant, I've not had time for anything.  Friends, boyfriends, nothing.  And I guess I was lonely."

"Mr. Kelly's pretty young," Rose nudged the other girl's shoulder, deciding to forgive her kissing the Doctor, because really, who _hadn't_ kissed the Doctor?  Besides, it seemed like there was more on her plate than just that.

Tiffany let out a forced laugh.  "Yeah, but he treats me like an assistant, you know, like I'm not an equal.  Like I'm not a clever scientist on my own, like I didn't go to school for eight years to study and _be_ a scientist.  And I guess I saw the way the Doctor treated you, like you were... Like you were almost better than him.  And I wanted that."

Rose nodded, understanding.  "You know, where I come from, we've got these things called A-levels.  And they're massively important for gettin' good jobs and stuff, going to university.  I never got my A-levels, cause I moved in with this guy I thought was everything.  I had a dead-end job, was probably gonna live and die on the same flat.  But when I met the Doctor, it wasn't that he taught me who I was.  But he made the universe open enough for me to see it."

She waited for a moment, letting that set in with Tiffany, before saying quietly, "And sometimes you've got to show yourself.  Maybe that's what you're looking for.  Once we get off this island, go be a scientist, do amazing things."

Rose turned to look at Tiffany, and saw that she was crying.  She opened her mouth to apologize, but Tiffany held up a hand, stopping her.  "Don't say you're sorry.  It's just that you're right. I need to quit being an assistant and do what I trained to do."  She lifted a shoulder.  "And maybe find someone.  Not be so lonely."

The silence that fell should've been uncomfortable, but somehow it wasn't, as Tiffany regained herself and finished what she wanted to say, obviously determined to get this all out in one shot, to let it go.  To be free of it.

"You're not even obligated to be nice to me, I was horrible to you."

Rose smiled.  "I learned a long time ago that somebody not being nice to you is not a reason to be the same to them."

Tiffany looked shocked at this, and turned to face Rose, wiping her face of tears.  "You mean that.  You're not just saying it, I can tell."

Rose nodded and hugged the other girl, who hesitated for a moment before hugging Rose back.  And Rose realized it wasn't guilt she'd been feeling about Tiffany, it was sympathy.  Tiffany was almost a carbon copy of what Rose had been like when she was with Jimmy Stone.  And then there had been light, and her whole world had changed, and she wasn't that naïve little girl any more. 

And the sun was rising for Tiffany as well.


	23. Chapter 23

The sun rose, as it was wont to do, and Rose found herself feeling oddly well rested, for all of the things that had happened to her. To all of them. As the camp around her started bustling, Mr. Kelly and the Doctor slept on under the shelter. 

Tiffany had seemed to gather a lot from Rose's words, discovering what she supposed she had known all along, honestly. Rose suggested she go to get firewood; that way she could be equal parts helpful and selfish, giving her some time to think and be alone. 

Rose watched the other girl set off into the woods, hands on her hips and having a Jackie-Tyler like worry-fest within herself. She'd never tried to help somebody with things like this, self-discovery and the like. That was the Doctor's business, usually. She could only hope that she'd done some good for Tiffany. 

The Doctor had started to wake up, reaching out for Rose and finding her not next to him startled him awake. He sat up and looked around for her, finding her sitting in front of the fire that had been built on the beach, helping cook fish for breakfast. It was obvious that a humanoid with gills had been the one to catch them. 

She was laughing, talking with people and creatures that three years ago, she wouldn't have thought possible. She was able to make jokes about her own species that would make other species laugh, could make references to other planets and universal documents without batting an eye. If the Doctor was honest, which he usually was, he'd say that he was very much proud of Rose and how much she'd grown since she'd been with him. Not to say that she hadn't been amazing before, because she really had been. 

He donned his jacket, forgoing the overcoat on the shelter, and moved across the beach to sit down next to her. She offered him a smile before continuing the conversation she'd been having with the people around her. 

They eventually had enough cooked fish for the entire camp, and the Doctor set off a sonic flare before they ate. Tiffany returned and woke Mr. Kelly up, who looked very weary and sort of like he was sleep walking anyway. He sat down next to the Doctor, who immediately started chatting him up. 

That was given up on very quickly, however, because Mr. Kelly still seemed dazed, so that Doctor thumped him on the back, told him to eat up, and turned to Rose. "You were up early," he said quietly.

She shrugged. "I had a talk with Tiffany."

The Doctor arched an eyebrow at that. "You had a talk with Tiffany? About what?"

Rose's face was calm and unguarded when she turned to face him. "I just helped her learn a little bit about herself, that's all. Told her that you taught me some things, but there was some stuff you had to teach yourself, in the end." She smiled at him, "When we get back to the mainland she's going to become a real scientist, not some assistant."

The Doctor returned her smile. "So you don't hate her anymore?" He asked. 

She looked him up and down and shook her head. "I won anyways."

He really did have to grin at that. He slipped an arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple. She giggled and it reminded the Doctor just how much he really did love that sound. 

It was an odd sense of family, even though most people didn't know each other in this small circle. Everyone was laughing, carrying on, telling complete strangers all about each other. The Doctor knew that once they were rescued all that would go away, that everyone would go their separate ways. But for now, in this moment, there was a beautiful moment of togetherness, a kind of moment he really liked reveling in. 

Once they'd all finished eating, however, they'd all started to grow restless, wanting to go home and wondering why the Doctor's sonic flare wasn't drawing in any boats. What they didn't factor in was that maybe it wasn't going to be a boat that saved them, after all. 

The Doctor and Rose went for a walk down the beach, checking for anyone or anything they could alert to their presence. Without a word passing between them, their hands found each other and Rose drew close to his side. 

"Do you think anyone is going to come for us?" She asked quietly, almost afraid of the answer she was going to get. 

"At some point, someone's got to," The Doctor said confidently. "New Earth became very in tune to everyone on the planet because of the hospital scare. It's not overbearing, not all-consuming, but the people of this planet look out for each other. That's why I think someone's coming."

She tipped her head against his shoulder as they walked, trying to focus on the positivity of his statement. He sounded so sure, but Rose, somehow, wasn't convinced. "You sound so sure," she said simply.

He bumped her shoulder gently. "That's because I am sure. We just survived and defeated the Daleks again, you and I are getting out of here, because someone's going to come get us and take us home."

It was the thought of home that made Rose smile. Their home. Where they lived, more together than ever, now. She stopped walking and looked up into his face. he looked confused for a moment until she took her free hand and cupped his face. 

He took the hint and smiled before leaning down to kiss her. Rose sighed softly against his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her closer around the waist, allowing themselves to revel in each other for just a few of their precious quiet moments. 

When Rose pulled away, she pulled him into a hug, leaning her chin on his shoulder, facing the ocean. She felt him bury his face in the crook of her neck as he pulled her closer. 

She would've been content to stay there forever, had it not been for the small shape in the sky. She tilted her head up and squinted at it for a moment before realizing what it was. She squealed and jumped onto the Doctor, wrapping her legs around his waist in a full body hug. 

He turned around, confused, to see what she was looking at. 

Rose laughed and pointed into the distance. "Do you see that, Doctor? I guess you were right, we're going home!"


	24. Chapter 24

Rose released the Doctor, again standing on her own two feet once more. She waved her arms and started hollering at the aircraft in the sky, which appeared to be some sort of hovercraft. The Doctor pulled out his sonic and sent out another flare, just in case they didn't have the pilot's attention. 

The flight course of the hovercraft changed and started to descend towards the beach. The wind from it was reminiscent of their first trip to New Earth, and Rose found herself laughing as she held her hair back so she could see. 

The Doctor tucked his sonic away and swept Rose up into a laughing hug. Somewhere both of them had been afraid that it would take much longer for help to come, but now, being able to go home after the hell they'd been through with the Daleks, was the biggest relief they'd felt yet. 

Although it wasn't necessarily needed, the both of them continued to wave their arms and shout as the hovercraft landed on the beach next to them. Two men wearing what looked like New Earth's version of military fatigues exited the vehicle and approached the Doctor and Rose. 

"You're the ones that've been sending out the flares, right?" the first man asked, who looked to Rose to be suspiciously human. 

"That's us," The Doctor replied, "Nice to know they sent the cavalry for us."

The second man laughed. "Well, we knew your ship had gone missing, I don't know how long we'd be searching if you hadn't sent out those flares. Are there any other survivors?"

Rose and the Doctor nodded and led the soldiers to the camp that had been set up on the beach. Everyone had heard the commotion and seen the hovercraft land but after Rose and the Doctor had crashed the Dalek ship, it made sense that they were wary to investigate. When they saw it was two soldiers, their shocked expressions turned into cries of happiness. 

Tiffany burst into happy tears and was consoled by a very awkward and uncomfortable Mr. Kelly, who obviously knew very little of what to do in a situation such as this. People hugged and cheered and one enthusiastic woman kissed one of the soldiers on the cheek before hugging him rather aggressively.

The Doctor smiled at Rose and reached for her hand. She gladly interlaced her fingers with his and they shared a look. They were going home.

***

Rose thought the Doctor might collapse with happiness when they get back to shore and saw the TARDIS standing proudly by the dock, where they'd left it. 

"What's that, then?" Mr. Kelly asked when he saw the Doctor's reaction to seeing the phone box again.

"That, Mr. Alfred Kelly, is our ship," the Doctor said gleefully, rocking back on his heels. "Time and Relative Dimension in Space, that's us."

"Space travel? You're space travelers?" Tiffany asked eagerly.

Rose nodded. "And I think we're on to the next bit of trouble, wouldn't you say, Doctor?" 

The Doctor nodded vigorously. "Yes, I do think you're right, Rose. It has been a pleasure to meet you both, and I doubt you've seen anything like the TARDIS taking off, so you may want to stick around for this."

After sharing a manic grin they ran towards the blue box and immediately into it, not pausing for anyone or anything, not that they ever did, anyways. 

She shut the door behind her as the Doctor ran to the console and spoke enthusiastically to the TARDIS, flipping switches and pressing buttons and pausing to pat the console fondly. Rose watched from against the doors, a small smile on her face and her arms crossed. He noticed her and gave her a manic grin before flipping the last lever. 

Rose had always loved picturing the faces of people who watched the TARDIS dematerialize, but she was only able to think on it for a moment before she was in the Doctor's arms, him clutching her tightly. "Well, that went equal parts horrible and wonderful, didn't it?" he chuckled, his voice muffled by her hair. 

She laughed and pulled away to look at him. "I can think of one good thing that came out of it," she said, running a hand through his hair. 

He smiled softly at her. "You know, I think I can, too." he leaned in to kiss her, completely forgetting about piloting them anywhere. 

Tiffany and Mr. Kelly watched with dropped jaws from the shore as the TARDIS disappeared. 

"Who on New Earth were they?" Mr. Kelly asked, his voice full of awe.

Tiffany managed a smile, turning her face up to watch the sky, on the off chance she saw that blue box. "I have no idea. But I have a feeling the universe needs them."


End file.
